Crazy to leave long tenure/cushy $400k job for startup?

My background:

BS Aerospace Engineering
MS Mechanical Engineering
Total years of experience since graduating: 13 years

Professional Background:

2013: DoD Gov Contractor ($60k)
2014: Sales Engineer ($75k)

Begin 11 year stint at same company:

2015: Application Engineer ($90k)

2017-2021: Technical Account Manager (topping out at $110k+ ~45k RSU). Won the highest award at our company in this role

2021-Present: Enterprise Account Manager ($310k OTE and averaging $440k in overachievement + some RSU). Multiple awards for most sales. 40-50% travel

All remote

Current situation:

Feeling unchallenged and don’t really feel like I’m growing professionally. Company was much smaller when I started 11 years ago and things felt more dynamic. After a recent acquisition, things feel too structured and obviously the culture is changing. Nothing bad about the new company. I certainly feel like I plateaued and not getting the intellectual stimulation. There are things that I could be doing better/different, but those things would only help me improve incrementally. Also not much opportunity to be technical or dabble in other functions in a meaningful way.

Upcoming opportunity:

Remote position as an Account Executive at a Series B funded company. $330k OTE + equity. More opportunities to impact GTM, be technical, take down business using my own strategies, have an ability to grow and take on more responsibility. Company is in the same space as my last role so my knowledge of the industry would carry over. I assume lots more work, but same travel.

Personal situation

Married with a 1 year old. Wife is a physician making $450k. No debt. Low 7 figure net worth.

Questions:

Am I wrong to think that a start up is an environment where I’ll get to do work outside of my core job description?

Would I really get a chance to make more of an impact and get a chance to build/shape a business at a series B?

For those who stayed somewhere for a long time. Did you feel like rebuilding your reputation was worth it somewhere else?

Thanks for the help!

Posted Jun 8, 2026, 5:02 AM UTC

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