When you graduate with a degree in Computer Science and are evaluating your job offers, you may ask yourself: should I join a big tech company, or an early-stage startup? Each presents its own risks. For a while, big tech was seen as a safe choice and startups as riskier but with more potential upside. But, tech giants like Google and Amazon are making headlines for all of their layoffs, which brings the 'stability' of working for a big company into question. Will Google kill my product and shed my org next quarter, or will my 3-person team in a WeWork fail to raise and try to pay me in monopoly money?
In my experience, you'll actually grow the most at a mid-stage startup. Think Series B or C, 50 to 500 people, with a product that already makes money.
Here's why.
Your work actually ships. At a big company, you might spend three months waiting on permissions and learning proprietary tools. At a seed-stage startup, you're putting out fires. But at a mid-stage company, you write code, it ships, and real users, often times millions, touch it. That fast feedback loop is where you learn. (At Perpay, new hires shipped their first ticket on day one).
Titles move fast. These companies spin up new teams constantly. If you're competent, you'll be leading one within a year. Not because you put in the time and "deserve it", but because there's literally no one else to do it.
The network is real. You're not working for a VP who reports to a director who reports to a C-suite you've never met. You're still sitting next to the founders. These people could be your future cofounders or investors. Building something together beats a LinkedIn connection request for a coffee chat every time.
The equity math is better than you think. Seed options are usually lottery tickets. FAANG stock is safe but growth is usually limited. A Series B company that's found product-market fit and is eyeing an IPO or private sale? You're buying in after the existential risk is gone, but before the market has priced you out.
The FAANG offer feels prestigious. The garage startup feels exciting. But if you want to grow fast and build a foundation, find a company that's already found its footing and is starting to sprint.