I have to disagree with #9. In a large company, there is an HR department and a hierarchy that balances power. In a startup, you may have to deal directly with

I have to disagree with #9. In a large company, there is an HR department and a hierarchy that balances power. In a startup, you may have to deal directly with the personality of the founder - which can be an overwhelming and socially bizarre experience on its own - but, worse, that opportunity can attract sycophants and yes-men and backstabbing and all sorts of politicking that can't happen in your minor engineering department in BigCo, because at BigCo there's no access to powerful people, so no way to try to manipulate them. Sure, BigCo has politics in the executive lounge, but I don't have to hang out there.