> Part of it is proof, of course: we know it's legitimate when she's sitting right there next to the person and can make them provide proof. We've had situations where agents or others have tried to do an AMA as their client, and Victoria shut that [...] down immediately.
Righteous firing or not, a lot of this is a lesson in avoiding a SPOF.
At the end of the day, I have to believe you mentally calculate this net worth line (say, with a conservative 1x ARR on the investments) if you're to the point of talking to accountants about becoming an accredited investor.
Although props if you are conservative enough not to even entertain the thought of counting unhatched chickens. That's responsible, disciplined behavior. The kind that gives you the confidence to go launch Starfighter...
To the parent to your post: look, when you're picking a job, you're essentially buying the stock with your time, if not with part of your comp. Unless you're a true W2 mercenary, you should accept upside at a discount like tptacek's hypothetical.
So the GP got burned in 2001? That's a dumb reason to swear off all exposure to life-changing upside, forever, no matter what the expected return.
Unless you are a mercenary or shark who has to keep moving, think like a savvy investor first. Then indulge your preference for the type of work. And only after all of that worry about the W2 money.
Successful companies will breed opportunity to do the kind of work you want. Successful companies will also build your equity and increase your base rate to eventually catch up to market. Growth will create professional opportunities. Pick based on the prospects of the company first.
ITT people are too focused on the salary negotiations that patio11 brought up, and not enough on the aspects that build true wealth. Don't get trapped in local optimizations...you have to create exposure to outsized upside. If not through equity, then through side-projects and entrepreneurial activity.
Should one also assume that corporate guest networks (such as the ones you might be asked to connect to when offering an on-site demo) are similarly MITM-compromised?
And by "assume", I mean to say, does anyone have knowledge that this occurs?
Bah...if you had skills that could guarantee you could retire at 55, and equity that might let you retire at 30 (best case) or 45 (worst case), why not take the chance if you believe in your work, your company and your mission?
If you know what your company is making is bullshit, then by all means bail as soon as you can. If it is important work, then the risk is far less.
Agreed. View your prospective employer as if you were an investor. Think like Buffett. If your timing is right, a profitable, proven and sustainable business model is worth far more for most than a lottery ticket. Grow rich slowly.
Joined a post-IPO company, saw peers waste options on cars 10K cars that would be $800K homes today, sat tight, did good work, collected equity, which, if spread over my whole career, equates before tax to about 3-4x my average annual salary per annum over a very long, multi-decade career.
It was risky, no doubt. Had I not executed, my cumulative equity might have ended up 1-1.5x salary over a long career. But the downside was incredibly low given the risk taken.
One caveat: since companies IPO so late now, to luck into it like I did, you will likely have to find pre-IPO companies (but post having a non-insane biz model) to achieve similar results.
Righteous firing or not, a lot of this is a lesson in avoiding a SPOF.