I would like to focus on those comments that are questioning if stocks are just a way to trick employees in getting a lower salary. I believe that regardless of the lifestyle you want to have, stocks have the potential to make you really wealthy, way more than collecting salaries.<p>In startups a good salary will give you an affordable and stable life, sometimes short-term security (because a higher salary like 200k&#x2F;yr could only last a couple of years until the startup cease to exist). On the other side stocks are the best investment to drastically improve your finances. To put it in layman&#x27;s terms, it usually take many years, sometimes a lifetime, to buy long-term security, a nice house and fast cars just by collecting a salary month by month. Selling earned stocks can do all of that in 2&#x2F;4 years. If it doesn&#x27;t, then move on.<p>It&#x27;s a bet and a different type of gambling, therefore should be treated as such. Now, if you can or cannot afford to gamble it&#x27;s a different story. In my experience people with families understandably lower their risks by preferring a higher salary, while those who don&#x27;t have any wife&#x2F;kids prefer stocks.<p>Regardless of that, this doesn&#x27;t change the fact that stocks have the potential of being worth 10-20-30-N times a yearly salary, and sometimes that qualifies them as a good bet to some people (and certainly it does for founders and investors).