Startup employees have a lot of advantages to mitigate this risk though: - They can be much more selective of only joining startups that already has good tract

Startup employees have a lot of advantages to mitigate this risk though: - They can be much more selective of only joining startups that already has good traction - They generally can command a higher salary than founders pay themselves - If things go south they can jump ship much sooner There are certainly disadvantages, but it is a free market. If you choose to go the startup employee route, then use all the advantages you've got available to you. Depending on a your goals being a startup employee might not be the right thing, but they can mitigate their risk just like everybody else.