I dunno about anyone else, but I pretty much ignore equity when considering a new position. Worrying about equity as an employee is like worrying about what kind of Christmas gift you&#x27;ll get from someone you know. It might be something awesome, it might be something dumb, but more than likely, it&#x27;s a pat on the back and a &quot;Happy Holidays&quot; -- nothing you can take to the bank.<p>I also think it doesn&#x27;t <i>really</i> matter how much your valuation is, because the options are effectively worthless until there is a qualifying event. If you&#x27;re already public, then you might have a case for it, but for most startups, it&#x27;s as good as monopoly money.<p>Salary + benefits + culture is what gets me in the door every day. Equity is just a bonus.<p>I once interviewed with a YC company and got an offer that was <i>significantly</i> under my current salary. When I tried to negotiate, the founder insulted me and basically told me I was an idiot for ignoring the equity component which was &quot;worth far more than the salary.&quot; Pretty glad I didn&#x27;t take that position, but it still bothers me how misguided he was about the whole situation.<p>I can&#x27;t pay rent with equity. My landlord won&#x27;t accept &quot;I have stock options in some startup you&#x27;ve never heard of&quot; as payment.<p>There are a lot of posts about equity around here, and I just think it&#x27;s overrated in general. Kinda wish we&#x27;d talk more about salary and other benefits and a little less about what basically amounts to a crapshoot. For instance, my hearing aids are very often not covered by health insurance... now that would be a nice perk for someone like me.