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Comment by coconutbrain | Hacker News Reader

You value money over mental health?

I'm probably missing some context here, because I have a well paid job and it makes me happy.

No, because after four years, I'd retire and live the rest of my life doing whatever I wanted whenever I wanted, starting my own projects on my own time to make any extra money or to simply satisfy my own interests.

You know the risks? What if things go south and your options are worth zero?

90% of startups fail

You didn't say you were giving away a lottery ticket for open source. How much of the 350 is salary?

Somewhere between 170 and 225 is my guess. Still a lot of money but after taxes it's nowhere near retirement after 4 years. The stock could be worth something or nothing.. unless they are public or liquid I would discount that amount by 90%.

> You didn't say you were giving away a lottery ticket for open source

You call this a lottery ticket? My open-source work is the reason they were considering me in the first place!

Instead of getting opportunities, let them establish a monopoly over my time? No, thanks

> after taxes it's nowhere near retirement after 4 years

Correct, if you take the taxes into account there's more grind for what's worth

Those stock options are effectively $0, but based on the company's crazy valuation, sure they might be calculated as that much

That salary is roughly $900,000, post-tax. If you couldn't retire off of that today, let alone use that money to live comfortably for a substantial amount of time, then I simply don't know what to tell you

That's why you do research beforehand about the company, the market, the product/service, and the people who are going to drive it forward. If those things together give you confidence in what the company is trying to do and their ability to achieve it, then you are taking what's called a "calculated risk" when you join them.

Existing companies also fail. You take similar risks when you join one of those as well.

Maybe it wouldn’t induce mental health issues for everyone?

yes, food requires money. i have nothing to lose really.

Good thing those Silicon Valley Ponzi-schemes, aka. "Startups" are not the only way to make money!

Ok you’re edgy we get it

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