Hi Ben, The future success of the company, when they are at an early stage, is truly a non-factor. And whether or not your current project has a shelf life is

Hi Ben, The future success of the company, when they are at an early stage, is truly a non-factor. And whether or not your current project has a shelf life is only a factor if your company in unlikely to not repurpose you and you are staring down the barrel of a future layoff. Now, what is a factor. Surely, as you are trying to tease out of us, compensation isn't everything. However, you seem to place some value on your 'very comfortable living situation'. I, on the other hand place no value on my living situation...but, my wife and son might disagree : ) You are dancing around something that a lot of other people already know and optimize for, when selecting a job. There is value on your personal interest in the project you are a part of. And there is value in learning new technology. It seems might be bored working on something that is stale and the idea of working on something cutting-edge with a startup is very tempting. That's perfectly fine, I'm that way too. So are many other folks on HN. Now, there is no ultimate RIGHT and every decision has consequences. You have to look at the benefit / risk of less benefits vs work environment, interesting / cutting-edge work and finding a new living situation. Unfortunately, no one can answer that for you. Good luck.