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Three years ago I took a pay cut for a startup and it paid off last month
Back in 2022 I left a stable accounting job in Phoenix for a small tech startup that paid $15k less. Everyone told me I was crazy. Last month they got bought out and my equity turned into a bonus that covered two years of lost wages. Has anyone else bet on a risky move and actually won?
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alex_coleman27d ago
Did you have to sign any weird non-compete or vesting schedule clauses when you joined? A buddy of mine almost took a similar gamble but the fine print said you'd lose all equity if you left within the first two years, even if the company got bought. That part of startup life never gets talked about in the success stories.
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ellis.charles27d ago
Whoa, that's brutal. Two years is a lifetime in startup time, especially if the whole thing could get scooped up in month 11.
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tylerw7225d ago
Yeah, month 11 clawbacks are real, I'd negotiate for single-trigger acceleration on any equity from day one.
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