Are you counting the FAANG stock performance of the last few years as part of that "no risk" alternative? Because that's hindsight. Stock is always a risk (apar

Are you counting the FAANG stock performance of the last few years as part of that "no risk" alternative? Because that's hindsight. Stock is always a risk (apart from same-day sales, which only net a small percentage and may be blacked out). And you're kinda simultaneously arguing it's a good outcome and a bad one, in both cases the reason is the founder owned most of it. The net is that it's a mediocre outcome, just that in this case one guy did ok. If you can get nine other people to contribute towards building up your side project to sell for an average market price of the technology and business, you can get more, sure. But it's not "successful startup" more.