Startup career path

If your goal is to start a company, it is mostly a waste of time to work anywhere but a startup.
--Chris Dixon via cdixon.org

I agree. Large company experience prepares you for the rigors of navigating fiefdom and hierarchy and pleasing your boss. Those goals don't align you with creating value in the marketplace. But that's the entire point of startups! Get closer to the metal, not farther away.