1. I really disagree with the assumption that you're not going to get more than 0.5% at a seed-funded startup. It is really common, at least in Silicon Valley,

1. I really disagree with the assumption that you're not going to get more than 0.5% at a seed-funded startup. It is really common, at least in Silicon Valley, for an engineer at a seed-funded startup to receive more than 0.5%, especially if they are taking a below-market salary. In fact, if you are one of the very first employees, you should definitely be getting more than 0.5%. 2. It is also very common, and by no means something particularly extraordinary, for an early employee (post-seed) to receive stock grants instead of stock options, which makes the situation even more favorable (especially if you declare the grant as income to the IRS early).