> So you would get paid like at another company but get equity on top and it's not a good deal? How comes?

If it were truly market rate (total comp not just base salary) then sure, it's a good deal. How likely are you to find that in an early startup? It must be pretty close to zero percent chance. But if you find it, sure, it's good.

You'll still work harder and be more stressed but it'll be a different learning experience which is always nice.

A lot of it comes down to management/team quality. Do you want to spend an awful lot of time with these folks? Do you think you'll learn from each other? Do these folks seem to know what they're doing and are the building a product that interests you? If you can say yes to most (all?) of those questions, then all-in-all, it's probably a wash. If not, run.

Depends on the options available to the candidate. Typically someone joining a startup very early probably has the skill to get FAANG salaries with less stress and more free time. There are also hundreds or thousands of mid size companies that pay very well nowadays, its not just FAANG.

Yeah but smaller startups might be more open to non-US applicants, FAANG and other more established companies don't seem to be interested in hiring abroad.

That's what makes the early startup scene the only thing available for some.

How come? Most large companies have big legal/HR departments that are very efficient at the whole visa application process. A small company won't have that expertise/staff. I mostly see startups being more concerned about the visa status of applicants.

Remote + non-US is not as welcoming, so the hurdles are way higher as it's not fitting the usual way. While startups have no prior experience anyway, so it's easier to convince 1-2 people instead of changing a whole system (I believe).

Most early stage companies turn out to be poor companies for employees. Long hours, toxic leadership, unclear roadmaps etc. Working at a small firm doesn't guarantee high quality.