
Big IPO, Tiny Payout for Many Startup Workers - carlosgg
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-12-17/big-ipo-tiny-payout-for-many-startup-workers
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zzalpha
Which is all why you should never ever drink the option kool-aid.

I have stock options. If you listen to our CEO they'll make me filthy rich,
but it doesn't take a math genius to see that if I clear, say, $200,000, I'd
be doing pretty well!

Now make no mistake, that'd be a very nice payout. But it's not life changing
and I have no delusions it will be. And the (increasingly likely) reality is
that my company may never enter the public markets, in which case they could
very well be totally worthless.

Instead, find work you love with people you like paying you a salary you think
is fair. That's what matters. And if there's a little windfall as part of the
deal, well hey, that's a bonus. But don't assume you'll get rich. Because you
probably won't.

The reality is, even during the late 90s, it was a lottery. Survivorship bias
means we all remember the guys who got filthy rich. But no one remembers the
guy who just managed to pay his mortgage off.

