Yes, I'm eliding a lot of complexity, in that you can't just take the equity and sell it to the bank or to your VCs. However, you as a founder have some control over how much you raise and at what valuation. So the fact that you can't make that decision at the time of hiring is certainly true, but you are making those decisions when you decide to raise a round (or not).
That's why I restricted my final remark to companies that have taken funding. Of course there are a lot more moving parts than I let on, but if a company has taken funding and would rather keep their funding than their equity, then it makes sense to think carefully about why that is before buying that equity with, potentially, years of your irreplaceable life.
That's why I restricted my final remark to companies that have taken funding. Of course there are a lot more moving parts than I let on, but if a company has taken funding and would rather keep their funding than their equity, then it makes sense to think carefully about why that is before buying that equity with, potentially, years of your irreplaceable life.