[sokoloff]

I think there's a good case to be made that being the first non-founder in a startup is one of the worst risk-reward profiles in the industry. The people who got there before you have far more upside (which is entirely fair, but still mathematically true) and the people who join later as the company grows and evolves have a lower risk profile.

I agree that you can learn a ton by being the first non-founder into a startup. You can learn even more and have more upside by being a founder.