There is a lot of talk in the comments about amount/value of startup equity vs FAANG companies, but having founded and worked with numerous startups, there seems to be an overall lack of transparency when it comes to equity. It's not just how much (percentage), but how are you even measuring that percentage? Fully-diluted shares or current outstanding? What are the liquidity preferences of the VCs? 1x, 2x, 3x? Beyond the rare chance of the company even exiting, there are so many terms that most engineers are completely oblivious to, and the startups are usually not there to inform you.