That's disgusting. It should be illegal to mislead people like this.

Employees aren't like A16z, they're not getting preferred shares and their primary source of income isn't likely to be investing in corps.

Stuff like this can ruin people's lives.

> Stuff like this can ruin people's lives.

But does it really? Sure, it sucks if you get tricked to accept a lower salary, but I'd assume that even a below average software developer salary will be enough to lead a somewhat comfortable life.

Think about it this way:

Joining a startup is an opportunity to be part of a team that's doing something really hard, so you need to trust each other. Lying about the compensation structure isn't a good foundation for trust.

Now, you're spending at least a year of your life, working 40+ hour weeks in close proximity to someone who cheaply misled you.

s/40/80/g

Can you give me some money? you seem comfortable. $40k ought to do it. Thanks.

It is illegal, which is why you'll never see them do it in writing.

It is? I'd believe it, but I'm naive on these matters. Can you explain?

I had a company in Richmond try to get me to work part time in exchange for stock. They haven't even had an initial round of funding yet. Same situation, told it was to be the next big thing. I'm a gambling man, most projects won't get off the ground, most won't last 3 years, even fewer will reach IPO. We have a lot of crackpots in this industry who think an idea is actually worth something.