There is an easy fix: consider equity as some free lottery tickets, and don't accept a lower salary that you would want just because you have equity.
If you want to make money from a sale or an IPO, you need to be a co-founder or investor. As an employee of a startup your remuneration is your salary, and equity is a lottery ticket that maybe, if you're lucky, will end up in a nice one time bonus in the future.
Don't believe the stories of the employee raking in millions when the startup exits. It maybe happened for some employees at a few companies like Google but it's not happening to you.
Honestly, I was freaked out by the ordering in the article (equity, benefits, salary, something else). That is completely opposite how I'd normally view an offer. Maybe I'm just not Silicon Valley enough but equity doesn't pay rent.
If you want to make money from a sale or an IPO, you need to be a co-founder or investor. As an employee of a startup your remuneration is your salary, and equity is a lottery ticket that maybe, if you're lucky, will end up in a nice one time bonus in the future.
Don't believe the stories of the employee raking in millions when the startup exits. It maybe happened for some employees at a few companies like Google but it's not happening to you.