Most smart people in tech tell you to value your equity at $0 if you're at an early stage start up and only take the job if you're okay with that outcome. My question is if you wanted to make a career of working in start ups how would you maximize your net worth? Anything is on the table. What stage company would you go to? Pre- or post- product/market fit? What role? What industry?
The only way to gaurantee is to start your own company.
Lately I've had a lot of interesting conversations about trade offs and risk. The best framework I've heard is it has a lot to do with the stage of your career. Your first job it makes the most sense to join an established company and be around smart experienced folks and have the time to learn from them. If you are an engineer go to google or Facebook etc... if you are a business person go to McKinsey. Then you hit the sweet spot to join an early stage company. Your salary opportunity cost is still relatively low but you get opportunities to do a lot of things and learn by doing. Then it gets tricky. Maybe now you are ready to start your own thing and take the risk. As a founder you get huge upside. As you start to get more experienced (10-15 years) your opportunity cost becomes very high, and joining an early company and taking all the founder risk with a fraction of the upside becomes harder and harder.
+1
indeed, study has shown that one of the biggest advantage wealth offspring has over non wealthy ones are the amount of risk and opportunity cost they can take, because they don't need a stable income to live on and raise their own family like a typical salary man.
Frankly I'd target mid stage. Greatest growth/stability mix.
So post B? Post PMF? Once the company is in growth mode?
Honestly it depends on the company. Funding isn't always the best sign of maturity.