Just to be clear, pretty much every point you made about startups directly conflicts with the sample of ~10 SF/SV companies I talked with during a recent job search
- base salaries at funded startups are good. Equity could vary greatly depending on how much salary you asked for
- insurance is 100% paid for employees and 50%+ paid for family
- I didn't discuss relocation but I was relocated to SF 2 yrs ago by a startup
- Very, very smart and capable co-workers
- Vacation days were untracked or 15+, and there was a separate allotment of sick days
- Most teams were < 10 developers well after launch
- Much easier to find jobs as an experienced senior developer than a junior developer
The one point you nailed is all open-plan offices, everywhere, all the time.
I don't know what you're basing your statements on, and maybe it's different in other parts of the country, but in SV/SF right now, if you're a demonstrably good developer, you're in extremely high demand and many, many excellent companies are competing fiercely to hire you.
- base salaries at funded startups are good. Equity could vary greatly depending on how much salary you asked for - insurance is 100% paid for employees and 50%+ paid for family - I didn't discuss relocation but I was relocated to SF 2 yrs ago by a startup - Very, very smart and capable co-workers - Vacation days were untracked or 15+, and there was a separate allotment of sick days - Most teams were < 10 developers well after launch - Much easier to find jobs as an experienced senior developer than a junior developer
The one point you nailed is all open-plan offices, everywhere, all the time.
I don't know what you're basing your statements on, and maybe it's different in other parts of the country, but in SV/SF right now, if you're a demonstrably good developer, you're in extremely high demand and many, many excellent companies are competing fiercely to hire you.