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0 pointsseibelj7y ago0 comments

I have worked at several startups. So far my payout from stock options has been a $7,000 loss, but maybe some of these shares will be worth something... someday!

My career was accelerated because of all the experience I had, and in terms of title and skills I got ahead faster.

But in terms of total compensation and the number of hairs remaining on my head, I would have much more wealth and many more hairs had I played it safe at a megacorp.

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5 comments · 2 top-level

swoorup7y ago· 3 in thread

Do you literally meant that you have lost some hairs. This is the only thing that is holding me back from joining startups

glangdale7y ago

We had our photo taken during an acquisition, and of the engineering staff, 3/4 of us (me included) were all going magnificently bald by the time of the acquisition. It's probably safe to say we would have lost most of our hair anyhow, but it was amusing to see us in photos circa 2006 vs 2013. I would say the due diligence probably cost me a few percent of my hair...

seibeljOP7y ago

Looking at my uncles and brother, I would have lost this hair either way. But I have certainly been in a lot of stressful situations. One time I took a paycut to minimum wage that lasted 6 months! Not fun.

But in tech, any halfway talented engineer can get a job in 5 seconds, so the risk isn’t that bad.

It’s just the hours, the stress, the uncertainty, the low pay relative to megacorps, and the founders who make 1000x payout if they manage to sell it.

gnulinux7y ago

You can surely find a new job at the worst in a few months and no well-paid engineer should be living without a few months' liquid savings anyway (emergency fund). So, every time people say startups are dangerous because they can go bankrupt, they're full of bullshit. Unless you live in rural US, or very inexperienced, there is no way in hell you'll burn all your emergency fund before finding a new job. Especially in tech heavens like SF, Boston, Seattle etc, it should be pretty easy to find a job even the day you're laid off. This is, unless tech industry collapses. Which I suppose is quite possible, but currently there is no evidence this is happening.

sixdimensional7y ago

Having been on both sides of the fence, mega corps have politics so bad that you want to rip out your hair in addition to it falling out. I can’t honestly say one is better or worse than the other - I think what matters most is are you bringing enough in to survive reasonably comfortable, and do you have a reasonable enough amount of time/energy for your family or personal pursuits on the nights/weekends?

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