Should I take the startup offer or stay at my current job?
Worth taking once a six-month cash cushion is in place and the Series A is on track.
Layer 1 / 7Concepts & question
Frame the question
Set the purpose, the question worth reasoning about, and the concepts the whole house rests on.
Purpose
Weigh leaving a stable job for an early-stage startup, so the choice accounts for family finances, career growth, and the odds the company makes it.
Overarching question
Should I take the startup offer or stay at my current job?
Key concepts
Upside vs stabilityLearning rateRunwayReversibility
Layer 2 / 7Stakeholders
Build the perspectives
Reason from each stakeholder in turn. Assign perspectives to co-builders so the work divides cleanly.
3 perspectives
Me in five yearsYOYou60
Weighs skill growth and optionality over near-term pay.
My familyMRMaya R.66
Needs predictable income and health coverage.
The startup teamDKDevan K.55
Needs someone who can own ambiguity from day one.
Layer 3 / 7Sourced facts
Ground it in evidence
Add facts with citations. Research Mode finds sources for you, and every claim links back to something checkable.
3 sourced facts
YO
The startup has 18 months of runway at current burn and a signed Series A term sheet.
Offer data room (2026)
MR
The offered equity vests over four years with a one-year cliff, so leaving in year one forfeits all of it.
Offer letter (2026)
Early-stage roles tend to carry broader scope and faster skill growth, traded against lower cash compensation.
Illustrative demo evidence, not a citationvia Research Mode
Layer 4 / 7Foundations
Surface the assumptions
Name what has to be true for the reasoning to hold. Weak footings show up here first.
3 foundational assumptions
01The Series A closes on the stated timeline.YO
02My current role would survive a downturn.MR
03We can absorb roughly six months of lower cash comp.YO
Layer 5 / 7Where it lands
Draw the conclusion
State the central conclusion and the reasoning that carries the perspectives into it.
Central conclusion
Accept the offer once there is a six-month cash cushion and the Series A is closing on schedule.
Without those two conditions, the learning upside does not cover the loss of stable income the family depends on.
Reasoning summary
The upside is concrete: faster skill growth, wider ownership, and equity with real potential. Two conditions carry the decision, the round closing and the family absorbing lower cash comp, and both can be checked today. Treating them as gates turns a gut call into a conditional yes with clear tripwires.
Layer 6 / 7Consequences
Trace the implications
Map what follows if the conclusion holds, sorted by how positive, negative, or uncertain each consequence is.
4 implications mappedSorted by register and tagged with time horizon and who it lands on.
Positive · 2
A steeper learning curve and broader ownership.
Near-termMe in five years
Meaningful equity if the company succeeds.
Long-termMe in five years
Negative · 1
Lower cash comp and a lost 401(k) match while vesting.
Near-termMy family
Uncertain · 1
Whether the product finds a market before runway ends.
Near-termThe startup team
Signals to watch · would change the conclusion
→The Series A slipping past Q3.
→Burn rate rising faster than revenue.
Layer 7 / 7Score & publish
Review house strength
See how the house scores across evidence, logic, and coverage, what is driving each number, and what would raise it.
54/ 100
Developing
The reasoning is taking shape but leans on thin support. Add evidence and coverage before publishing.
The three scores
EvidenceDeveloping68
How well each claim is backed by a cited, checkable source.
Driving this score3 sourced facts
LogicThin51
Whether assumptions are surfaced and the conclusion follows from them.
Driving this score3 assumptions, conclusion set, 4 implications
CoverageThin37
The range of stakeholder perspectives the house accounts for.
Driving this score3 perspectives
How the overall is weightedEvidence 40% · Logic 35% · Coverage 25%