Investor Paul Graham explains why it's better to take a job at a startup over a big company — even if it ends up failing

• Y Combinator cofounder Paul Graham said you should work for startups, not big companies.
• Even when they fail, you'll be surrounded by future founders, he said.
• The two career routes are often debated in terms of money, mental health, and upward mobility.

Famed entrepreneur and Y Combinator cofounder Paul Graham says it's wise to work for startups over big companies — even if they're more likely to fail.

Working for big companies might be "safer," the investor shared on X, but the connections forged with startup colleagues can cue up future success.

"In ten years they'll be running everything," Graham wrote of startup employees, "even if the startup tanks."