> Startups aren't for everyone and not all startups are created equal. It would be unfair to assume all startups are misdirected and low paying.

True. Didn't mean to imply that. This particular one was misdirected and low-paying.

> You miss out of the potential upside of startup equity

How many startups actually make it to the point where the equity is worth something? I'm guessing it's under 5% of them (even in good times). So at some point you need to make the calculation as to whether the equity that you're trading pay for is going to be worth anything. In my case I determined that it would never be worth anything.