Somewhat tautologically, by doing due diligence over and over. Take your former company for example. You see a couple examples of how they operate, but it does

Somewhat tautologically, by doing due diligence over and over. Take your former company for example. You see a couple examples of how they operate, but it does seem like frugality is an operating principle they hold dear. Is this a pennywise pound foolish mentality, or is it a mentality that follows from attempting to use resources efficiently to accomplish tasks and reduce waste? Take a look at the latter. The CEO makes a bold proclamation about the future; is he a visionary who anticipates the unmet needs of the present that will served by the future, or is he being opinionated for its own sake? Unfortunately, there isn't really enough information here to make a decision one way or another. You have to drill down both above and below to figure out what the company's overall story to their investors is. And you have to consider yourself one of them. You will be investing your time and your opportunity cost into them. Do you feel sufficiently sold? Always be asking this.