How many people actually have a net worth > $30 million due to stock options from a Silicon Valley startup? Assuming a billion dollar exit, you would need 3% equity (post dilution) to end up with that net worth, or 5% if you want that net worth after-taxes. The average startup is going to have maybe 2-5 people with that level of equity. There aren't that many billion dollar exits, so my gut is that the total number across all startups in the last 5 years isn't going to be more than about 1000.

I would guess the number of wall street traders with a net worth > $30 million would be higher.

Does anyone know of any real statistics on that?

Interesting views. Just to add:

Early on in your career, you get "transferable" skills in both the industries. So, shifting from one industry to another cannot be very costly. So, one can always decide for one self.

But shifting also requires a change in mindset. Wall Street is a lot of money/bonus talk. Silicon valley would not like people who think only about money every day. Silicon valley is less shit work. Wall Street would not want people who do not smell the coffee well. So, the attitude should definitely be checked.

My 2 cents.

the depiction of "wall street jobs" isn't very accurate...most people are not wearing many "hats", and quantitative modelers certainly aren't getting coffee for execs. outside of a small trading firm, you're likely to have a specific role as a programmer, quant, or trader. making 500k after a few years is very unlikely, and probably involves as much luck and being in the right place at the right time with the right people as startup options paying off.

Here is some interesting stuff that only exist in valley :)

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jessicamisener/23-things-that-could-...

I've always thought the expected value on wall street seems way better. (probability * payout) since the equity in most startups ends up being worth zero.

Would like to add another point, about how important is a company's vision/mission to you.

It will be interesting to see how this tussle plays out in the next 5 years.

It doesn't cover one important aspect though i.e. learning; I think one stops or is forced to stop real learning. Also stress levels is quite high at wall streets compared to valley.

Nice Read.