Startups can be stealth mode, seed funded or Series A/B Unicorns are big companies but still act as startups internally like Uber, Dropbox, Lyft, Airbnb FAANG is FAANG TC:300K
If you are starting out, you will on average do/learn more at Startups/Unicorns than at FAANG.
I’ve thought about the optimal path through FAANG, Unicorns, and Startups. I’m still not completely sure, but I think you should definitely start out at FAANG to get it on your resume. At that point you can then jump around Unicorns and FAANG to jump levels as often as possible. Startups are mostly a lottery ticket, but if you win you get to skip over some steps depending on the situation. Or you could like, you know, focus on something other than TC.
dude, Uber is FANG for all practical purposes