> A simple solution is to not include stock options in how you value your comp package when going to work at a small company. At face value, that's saying a se

> A simple solution is to not include stock options in how you value your comp package when going to work at a small company. At face value, that's saying a senior engineer in bay area should be willing to take a ~150 - 200 k$/yr pay cut to work at a start up. And in my experience, people who say that never take me up on my offer to buy their equity from that at valuations significantly higher than 0 $. Having spent a decent chunk of my career at startups, I think a better mindset is: 1) Never value your options as if they were worth the preferred price, but at a significant discount (exact discount size depends on company and stage) 2) Approach working at a startup like the financial investment it is. Ask for all the data on growth and revenue you can get (Last fundraising round's pitch deck is good, if it was fairly recent).