If you look at it from the number perspective, it sucks. I think we all know that by now. Those that don't know these kind of things are really naive or they fo

If you look at it from the number perspective, it sucks. I think we all know that by now. Those that don't know these kind of things are really naive or they focus solely on technical implementation and block everything else in their life. Having said that, there are other not-so-visible benefits that can swing both ways: 1) A moderate exit but with lots of buzz in hi-tech community can push your portfolio a little bit. - "Designed and implemented Path" - "Architected Justin.TV chat component" Of course if the said company had scaling issues, your name will be associated with it as well. But if your marketing department can twist the words, luck might be on your side. Once you're done with this company, start reaping the benefit of higher compensation. 2) Skill improvement. Assuming your bet paid off, using cutting-edge technology can put yourself in the fore-front of consulting game as well. The early Rails adopters are reaping the benefit of this since a few years ago. Sought after and probably making good money as a consultant if needed. I have little doubt MongoDB-ers (or the NoSQL-ers) and Node.js-ers are off by much. After seeing what's going out in the hi-tech community, I believe it is no longer about the "right tools for the right job" for some people. The "changing-tools-and-languages" have become the "game" for some of the developers. At the end of the day, it depends on how the person handle the situation and flip it to his/her benefits. I don't mean to sound like a snake oil salesman but it's what you make out of it.