[huangc10]

I was at a YC startup in the mid 2010s for around 4 years. The most funding we got was a series B round but nothing more after.

Near the end, I had a happy hour or dinner with one of the co-founders. He told me that if he had to choose again (giving up his engineering job vs. starting up the company), he doesn't know if he would choose the start-up route again.

Just some food for thought. It's great playing the CEO or the founder and betting on yourself but at the end of the day, the financial trade-offs could be life changing (especially given the salary/stock options provided by top tech companies).