Au contraire; it's a rule of thumb distilling 20+ years of industry experiences and observations into a simple bit of advice. If I'd followed this advice throughout my career, I'd be happier and considerably wealthier today. Chasing the big stock payout has always been the wrong choice for me.

You do whatever you like. If this stuff is interesting, go learn about it! There's nothing wrong with that. But all I've discovered, the more I've learned about the world of VC and options and equity compensation, is that it's a rich man's game and I've been wasting my time trying to play.