> if you could make 400k at FAANG but you take 180k at the startup, you're basically betting 220k a year on the company.

Even worse, your bet is on common shares. Far better to work at FAANG and Angel invest so you get preferential shares.

The biggest scam of VC is that the dollar value of your time is hugely undervalued compared to a $ from VC that gets preferential shares.