[HalibetLector]

You're also ignoring the non-financial downsides: high stress, long hours and no life outside of the startup.

Suggesting that startups are inherently interesting misses the fact that a great many of them are rehashes of previous successful startups, which makes one startup feel just like that other startup you just left.

The sense of ownership is also highly variable. It depends on how much of a control freak the technical founder is.

Personally, I choose startups because of the high tolerance most startups have for individuality. I work from home in the mornings, have a standing desk at work and take walks in the middle of the day without anybody freaking out.