| Everyone has their own path and experience, so YMMV here. 1. Agree. I'm biased because I've gone from startups -> big techs -> startup. A massive number of friends at big tech have been laid off, but at my startup we're having record years in 2022, and 2023 is shaping up even better. Even if things go south, it'll be pretty obvious. 2. Perhaps early in careers, but not late. Outside of the CTO, I'm the highest compensated employee in tech, and that's still a 60% discount from my FAANG job, even when accounting for current stock prices. 3. I've definitely had way more fun at early stage companies. I've enjoyed the learnings as well. 4. FWIW, I'm 3-3 on startups w/exits (all acquisitions). Net value of my equity was $0, though I did get a 6-figure bonus once as an executive of the company. A $1B exit at my current company would mean some real $$$, such as low 7 figures! Now, to put that in perspective, that bonus was worth less than RSUs from a single year at FAANG (even before stock appreciation). The low seven figures from a startup $1B exit would be about the same as 3-4 years of comp at the FAANG. All of that is to say that I didn't go back to startups for the money. 5. Early in my life at "exciting" startup, I worked wayy wayy wayy more hours than I did at a big company or my current startup. I think hours worked correlates better to my age than to where I'm working. ;) |