[dzimine]

If the comp, stocks, big $ is your primary motivation, look somewhere else.

We go to the startup for a thrill. For doing something you strongly believe. For creating something that didn't exist before. If you think you can do it in a big org, too, you are right, now go and try, get a job at Cisco or AT&T. Innovating there is like driving Kia Rio vs Porsche: it's a car, too. It goes thought the motion. But the thrill is not there.

Many people are happy in big companies. They won't be happy at startups. They're no worse because of this. Different stokes for different folks. There is no objective pro's and con's for startup vs big corp. There are properties, that match personal traits. The key is to know yourself and what are yours. Trouble is, we don't always know what we want, worse yet it changes over time with experience. And once we finally learn it, it's time to retire. Life is fun.

Now, you don't want to be taken advantage, right, so all written here about transparency, cap table, etc are the right things. Do check. Don't take below-market salary for the mirages of future. If you don't do these basics - you failed intelligence test and shouldn't be hired.

[cimmanom]

There aren't nearly as many people out there who want the thrill of working for a startup more than they want higher comp AND can afford to miss out on big-co comp as there are startups wanting to hire them.

If startups want to be able to fill job openings (the question posed in this Ask HN), they have to be able to offer something besides thrill.

[nwsm]

Second paragraph is great. I haven't worked at a startup, but my experience in a big company is that you can definitely innovate, change things, and make things better.

But I wouldn't call it thrilling, I'd be interested to see how many startup employees found it thrilling.