At a startup, it's either worth joining at the very, very beginning (preferably as a cofounder), or after the company has real market traction and has its tech

At a startup, it's either worth joining at the very, very beginning (preferably as a cofounder), or after the company has real market traction and has its tech DNA figured out. Being an early employee sucks rocks--the stress is high, the pay is shit, the equity is bad, and the glory is nonexistent (because everybody is usually busy jerking off over how great the founding team is, because mythos and branding and culture).