Ask HN: Working at a Startup vs. Large Companies

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2612416

and

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2623797

for contrasting opinions and discussions

To excerpt a relevant point from the top answer: "I'm not sure if people "become" ready for a startup; in my experience, people are either small-company types or big-company types. When big-company types of people join a startup, they are typically ineffective and (if installed as a manager), a major force in slowing things down. When small-company types of people join a larger company, they tend to become annoyed and dissatisfied, often leaving quickly"

What I learnt from Large Companies. - The way they price their software is by far the most creative. There is these core components which you pay $X for. Then for feature A, you pay $X+1. For feature B, you pay $X+2, etc. And of course you'll give you a discount for being first customer.

And installation & support hours are separate cost components, etc. At the end of the day, it really really really add up. - Multinational work culture. You will work with counterparts from various countries, etc. Much like a Startup too if you are hiring remote workers. You'll have a good idea how to work different culture & style.

These are 2 main benefits working in Large Companies. In terms of coding, I learnt from the folks sharing their codes at github, and open source communities; unit testing, continuous integration, etc.

At the end of the day, it is what you want to achieve? ps: The monthly pay check in a Large Companies can really put in a comfort zone mode.