In early-stage startups, technical employees may find themselves doing the work of a co-founder while receiving only 1% or less equity, which is not a fair arrangement.

Technical co-founders and early employees often get exploited and undervalued in startups, leading to unfair equity splits.

College students often do not receive equity and are typically seen as interns who do the bulk of the technical work without recognition.

It's sometimes beneficial to offer a lower salary in exchange for a higher equity stake, but not all employees may be open to this arrangement.

In Silicon Valley, there's often a bias towards engineering teams, which can lead to other teams feeling undervalued.

Different employees value equity differently; some prefer the certainty of a salary over the uncertainty of equity, so tailor your compensation strategy accordingly.

Early employees should receive more equity than those who join later because they take on greater risks and work harder in a chaotic startup environment.

Most startups are not generous enough with employee equity, and you should demand fair treatment in terms of compensation.

In many companies, there's a disconnect between technical staff and management, where non-technical leaders may not understand the demands placed on developers, leading to unrealistic expectations and stress.