I think his question captured perfectly the real issue here.
I guess it depends on your perspective. If the only goal of doing a startup is to make more money, then sure. But if your goals involve having more control over your own destiny, fulfilling a desire to build something for the sake of building it, or having a kind of freedom you could never have when working for $BIGCORP, then it doesn't really matter if you're making more or less than you would at $BIGCORP. As long as you are either "ramen profitable" or have runway left to burn, you still have a shot at fulfilling that ambition, which is what matters, IMO.
I guess it depends on your perspective. If the only goal of doing a startup is to make more money, then sure. But if your goals involve having more control over your own destiny, fulfilling a desire to build something for the sake of building it, or having a kind of freedom you could never have when working for $BIGCORP, then it doesn't really matter if you're making more or less than you would at $BIGCORP. As long as you are either "ramen profitable" or have runway left to burn, you still have a shot at fulfilling that ambition, which is what matters, IMO.