I can be incentivized by money, but it has to be in the 7 figure range. The reality is that tech workers with a little bit of work can clear 400k/yr at BigCo wi

I can be incentivized by money, but it has to be in the 7 figure range. The reality is that tech workers with a little bit of work can clear 400k/yr at BigCo with much higher job security and much lower variance than any startup. Why would I grind at a startup where the best case scenario I am getting a payout I could get at FAANG without any of the risk? I have been through a successful exit as a SWE and you can be sure that the founders did everything in their power to maximize their own payout and minimize my payout. In a company of 40 the founders got a payout of 100x any other individual at the company, even those who were there early on and stayed until the exit. I got a (taxable) payout of ~300k and the founders got 40mil. The money was life changing for the founders, but for everyone else it was just a nice bonus. Now I just work at BigCo and make 400k/yr, every year.