The thing about startups is that very often, other people are <i>not</i> making money off your work.<p>I did a lot better at the two startups that I worked at than the either the founders or investors did.  At least I got paid; it may&#x27;ve been below market, but I ended up with net-positive income from them.<p>Probably the most valuable experience you can get out of a startup is learning that <i>most things fail</i>, and when they fail, they take everybody involved with them, and it&#x27;s your responsibility to dig yourself out and either make them succeed or find something else that will.  Only then can you make informed decisions about your career.  A lot of people who join the secure, steady thing never learn this, and then they&#x27;re completely blindsided when it fails too.