The perceived risk vs reward on a tech startup venture vs. playing the markets is completely different.
In hedge funds, earners get their big juicy paychecks when they prove they are earners. The methods by which you make money, while varied, are a far more known set. In general, you're not going to talk to a finance guy about what he's doing and then walk away thinking they're an idiot. Look at the scorecard, they must be doing something right.
In tech, the opposite is true. Ideas that seem far-fetched or absurd blossom. Sure fire hits crumble. Things that seem insane one year become obvious the next. Startups are incredibly speculative because we're exploring unknown spaces. But that's why you take the risk and go out there... because nobody else believes in it as much as you do.
If you add the bureaucracy of a large company to the mix, there are too many people in the way to say no. To crush the idea and the team before it even exists. And that's why as founders, we quit.
In hedge funds, earners get their big juicy paychecks when they prove they are earners. The methods by which you make money, while varied, are a far more known set. In general, you're not going to talk to a finance guy about what he's doing and then walk away thinking they're an idiot. Look at the scorecard, they must be doing something right.
In tech, the opposite is true. Ideas that seem far-fetched or absurd blossom. Sure fire hits crumble. Things that seem insane one year become obvious the next. Startups are incredibly speculative because we're exploring unknown spaces. But that's why you take the risk and go out there... because nobody else believes in it as much as you do.
If you add the bureaucracy of a large company to the mix, there are too many people in the way to say no. To crush the idea and the team before it even exists. And that's why as founders, we quit.