[halbritt]

"Less pay" generally entails something that's still reasonably lucrative. One could potentially make 20% more at one or two FAANG companies. Frankly, the big difference is in the RSUs. It's not unusual to see $100k/yr RSUs going to a senior engineer at one of them whereas at a startup, the equity is most likely worth nothing.

Basically, startups are a terrible place to work. I wouldn't recommend them to anybody. However, there are some folks, myself included, that love them.

Tech or IT or whatever you call it tends to happen at a glacial pace in structured organizations. Most IT projects fail. Most folks don't care. They want to come to work, do their thing, potentially excel at their thing, go home at the end of the day, and enjoy their life. At a startup, someone that's eager to contribute can really make a difference. One inspired idea has the potential to really move the needle when it comes to the success of the business.