I took away this: if you&#x27;re neither negotiating a higher salary nor equity, you&#x27;re setting yourself up for disappointment. Also, always negotiate from a positive perspective. It&#x27;s much more powerful to say &quot;I believe in this company, I would like more equity in exchange for the value I provide&quot; instead of &quot;I don&#x27;t believe in unicorns, give me cold hard cash&quot;. Especially if you know the extra salary will be hard to come by.<p>Your mileage may vary. I work at an established company now after a working at a startup where multiple life-saving investment rounds wiped out common shareholders (several times).