from Hacker News

Ask HN: Does it pay off to work for a startup?

by chenpengcheng on 4/16/19, 4:32 AM with 4 comments

I worked for a few. Had a good run in one of them, but luck played a big part. Among the rest, hard work didn't really pay off. What is your experience?
  • by pinewurst on 4/16/19, 4:39 AM

    That depends on what one considers a real startup. I've been at three that referred to themselves as such (really four, but that one was already public when I joined).

    Two tiny ones were disasters - pocket change when one IPOed and only a sense of relief escaping the other (like joining the Witness Protection Program), though some alumni went on to get rich on famous stuff. The largest was a great success, lucrative and a good education about the world - but there was a lot there before me.

  • by shams93 on 4/16/19, 4:42 AM

    With the wrong kind of options it's easy to get shafted with a massive tax bill depending upon what kind of options you get and how your timing is in exercising it can be a huge risk to your future if it works out poorly.