There's still a big advantage to holding employee-level stock during an acquisition. Even if you've only ended up with 0.5%-1.5%, that's still enough to pay off a good chunk of your mortgage and put you in a spot where you can start your own business.<p>In terms of a reasonable retirement plan, it can set you ahead by a decade.<p>There's also advantages to coming in as a non-founder. You significantly reduce the risk of failure by coming into a startup that's made it to the point where it's hiring and you can chop off a year to a year-and-a-half on the timing of an exit.