Kind of my point. As a startup dev you have to learn biz. And a really great dev should not have to do that. It is a waste of time and talent. OP was asking how to make money as an engineer. Engineers can play the startup lottery. But they are unlikely to win it. You need a Jobs for every Woz. But as a Woz it is hard and unlikely to find a Jobs - and not get fucked over. Hence my advice.