The appeal of startups is they are the only chance to be paid what one is worth. The alternative is to toil for the rest of your working life making enough to live but not enough to ever be financially free.

The elephant in the room is software developers are massively underpaid. If so many are willing to take the risk is because a one in a hundred chance of success is better than a 100% chance of going nowhere.

I've played the startup lottery, twice, and look forward to do it again. I'd rather own a percentage of a company that has a minute chance of success than a contract signed in blood for a "market salary" for the rest of my life.

I think it makes sense because programming is more of a power law than bell curve. The best are not just a bit better than average but 10x or more better.