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Comment by gerbilly | Hacker News Reader

Life is short, and I agree with the author, you won't remember most of the hours you spend working.

If I had 10 dollars for every set of stock options that I've been granted I'd be a hundred-aire by now.

I've lost count of the number of times I've been told, that if I just work really hard right now, I'll be able to retire soon.

Every time I read an article about some employees making big bucks off their stock options or six figures off an iPhone app, I see that for what it is: propaganda designed to make sure we keep feeding our young bodies into the machine.

That machine will grind you up and spit you out like hamburger on the other side.

Life is short as I said, and it seems to go faster the further along you are.

Work as little as you can, and if you must work, try to work for yourself.

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And: View stock options as strictly a bonus. I've been offered a low salary in exchange for lots of equity before. I enjoy having some stake in the long-term success in the company, but it depends on so many factors beyond the hard work of the employees, that you can't afford to sacrifice your day-to-day finances on a far-distant potential pay-off.

I had a one-on-one once where a manager reassured me that although my vesting schedule was almost up, it would be replenished soon with new options. I thanked him for his concern but told him I viewed them as "monopoly money" (exact words), so I could take or leave them.

There was eventually an acquisition, and I made a nice sum, but I never planned on them being worth anything. It was my first startup; how are so many convinced that these things are some sort of golden ticket? Where does that narrative come from?

I think the narrative comes from the cases where it's true - i.e. the really successful acquisitions and IPOs.

I think the issue is that overly optimistic companies (and probably some unscrupulous ones) estimate the likelihood of such an outcome to be greater than it is. But that doesn't mean that's never true (like it sounds like you found out).

Don't forget as a startup noob you also don't have much experience, so when your manager/CEO says you'll get a big payoff eventually, you probably believe them.

There's also an aspect of optimism to it, I think, not just naivete. I have enjoyed the startups that I've worked at, but I feel very out-of-place when I'm around many serial entrepreneurs because they seem to latch on to an idea and think it has extreme potential far more easily than I do. If you're optimistic and actually ENJOY being motivated by potential more than a paycheck, you'd probably trade salary for it. Just not who I am, nor a bet I think is sensible. But each to his own.

Have you honestly been told that if you were really hard right now, you'll be able to retire soon? What was the context? A manager trying to sell you on putting in extra hours, because the IPO is going to make you rich?

I nodded to a lot of your points (although I have personally done well by 1 of the 3 companies to offer me options), but I've never had a boss actively try to push me like that. It's always been encouragement or constructive criticism, but never (potentially) false promises. That just strikes me as so wrong.

>Have you honestly been told that if you were really hard right now, you'll be able to retire soon?

I _have_ been told this, multiple times at startups, from people who probably sincerely believed it.

Luckily, I never agreed to a pay cut in favour of options.

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