The implication is that workers get screwed by less-than-stellar IPOs, but who demands unreasonable valuations?  Investors and VCs. The ones who actually make real money.<p>All in all, the Silicon Valley we-can-all-be-unicorns model is a pretty raw deal. So what if as an early employee you make $350,000 at the IPO?  That&#x27;s what, a down payment for a house in the Bay Area?  Just don&#x27;t let yourself get priced out by millionaires getting priced out by billionaires.  And considering that any early employee is expected to pretty much always be working, that&#x27;s basically overtime, with a tip.<p>People only put up with this pathetic excuse for an American Dream because they allow it.