> If I were an executive sponsor of software initiatives, for example, I’d want to take some of the lessons from the VC world. I’d expect, and plan for, projects to just “not work.” I’d bake that into expectations all the way up.<p>In any decently-run company, this already is the case. Most customer-facing projects are treated as startups that will fail (most do, some don't). I think expectations are well-balanced... but <i>compensation</i>, on the other hand...<p>> And more importantly, I’d want the developers of the project to have skin in the game to compensate for the risk. I’d want them to share in the upside risk, just like early startup employees do with their stock options. Because in the absence of that kind of incentive and risk management structure, what I see is sort of the worst of both worlds (software and corporate politics): new software products usually fail but nobody wants to take the blame, resulting in pervasive fraud and willful ignorance and shame and scapegoating and bitterness.<p><i>This</i> hits the nail on the head. I remember working on a customer-facing product at X company about a decade ago. Our team was small and scrappy, and we were able to build a product that would eventually bring in $2M/month+. It felt very startuppy: we were regularly staying late at the office, getting takeout in the wee hours of the night, doing swarm sessions, war rooms, etc. I will say: it was engaging and fun. But what was our reward? A few months later, we got some cheap puffy jackets (estimated cost: $100 bucks) and a slap on the back: "good job team."<p>Companies will never let you share in the wealth. Why? There are enough suckers out there that are more than happy with six figures (when they should be making seven). I was already enamored with startups since my late teens, but after that experience, I truly realized corporate upside is basically non-existent unless we're in a market bull run. The year after, I quit and started to solely place my bets on my own startups.<p>In fact, the downside of betting on your own startup is fast converging with the downside of working at a FAANG or BigCo. Job security is shot (layoffs galore), perks are eroding (WFH, etc.), so what's the point? Best of both worlds is probably taking a BigCo salary and attempting your own thing on the side.<p>(Obviously, young kids, spouses, debt, etc. can change the equation substantially.)