For three and a half years, I managed a property with 60...

For three and a half years, I managed a property with 60 entrepreneurs. I saw firsthand how much harder entrepreneurs work compared to a regular job — something most people don’t fully see or appreciate. As for the share dilution, I agree with the concerns. I still believe strongly in the product and its future, but I don't support the current go-to-market strategy.

	Aspect	Highly Technical Entrepreneur	Regular 8-to-5 Job
1	Hours	Easily 60–100 hours/week (especially early on)	40 hours/week, usually predictable
2	Responsibility	Everything: product, sales, marketing, funding, hiring, customer support, legal, tech	Specific to your job description; limited accountability
3	Risk	Extremely high — financial, reputation, emotional risk	Low risk — paycheck comes regularly unless laid off
4	Reward Potential	Very high (if successful: wealth, autonomy, legacy) but uncertain	Modest raises, bonuses, promotions; security and benefits
5	Skill Range	Need many skills beyond technical: fundraising, leadership, negotiation, management, public speaking	Focus mostly on mastering a single skill set
6	Stress	Constant uncertainty and self-doubt; high stakes	Stress from deadlines, bosses, office politics, but generally more contained
7	Freedom	Long term: huge (you can control your destiny)	Short term: limited (vacation days, set hours, approvals needed)
8	Learning Curve	Exponential — you are constantly forced to learn fast across disciplines	Moderate — mostly growth in your field, with occasional cross-training
9	Failure Rate	Very high (90% of startups fail)	Job loss is relatively rare and recoverable
10	Work–Life Balance	Often terrible at first — startup will consume you	Much better defined — nights and weekends usually free