>Startups are risky and even though you work at one, I don't think they're for you.
Fortunately, there are many startups whose leadership is prosocial enough to try to offset some of the risk to its employees.
Since you seem like a Chicago School kinda guy, I'll put it in terms I think you can understand: employment is a market, and I am fortunate enough to have a optionality. It's bizarre that you fail to recognize that; it's pretty critical to your own analysis.
People who think that a rich investor who puts up some seed money to start a new venture should chase a bad investment with more of their personal funds to make sure employees are taken care of after the business fails (even though they paid into unemployment insurance, which already does that)...and they believe this so strongly that they would never work for any company that investor is associated with, regardless of the opportunity, are who I'm talking about.
These are the same types of people who think tech workers are treated so poorly that they need to unionize and should be free to spend their work time doing political things that have no contribution to the company bottom line.
It has nothing to do with negotiating the best deal for yourself. Severance is voluntary and is rarely negotiated up front. Especially at the level of employment for the 99% we're talking about where the company going out of business really matters -- negotiating severance up front is like negotiating a prenup. It's requires leverage and people in these income brackets don't have it.
It's beyond odd. If we take him at his word, it follows that only the likes of Bezos are allowed to benefit from an open job market. I am at a loss for what the parent post is even trying to say.
Fortunately, there are many startups whose leadership is prosocial enough to try to offset some of the risk to its employees.
Since you seem like a Chicago School kinda guy, I'll put it in terms I think you can understand: employment is a market, and I am fortunate enough to have a optionality. It's bizarre that you fail to recognize that; it's pretty critical to your own analysis.