I had conversations with both a recruiter and a representative from HR regarding the opportunity. The recruiter advised me not to bring up equity compensation as it wasn't offered. During my conversation with HR, I inquired about their primary cloud platform, as my expertise lies primarily in Azure (DP-203 certified) with some exposure to AWS. I also mentioned my background as an Aerospace Industrial Engineer. HR explained that the decision on cloud platform would ultimately be made by the Head of Engineering—a role that had not yet been filled. I asked several additional questions related to data strategy and long-term organizational planning. While HR was able to answer a few, many critical answers were deferred to future leadership hires, particularly technical leaders who had not yet been brought on board. The only question I was asked during the interview was whether the proposed compensation was acceptable. Given the nature of startups, equity can be a key component of compensation, and where business sell or close suddenly, I expressed some concern about accepting a salary-only offer without any equity, especially given the high risk environment. She stated it would be available at a later time. I shared that I see the company as high risk without some form of ownership or stake in the company. Following the weekend, I was informed that the company would be moving forward with AWS as their primary cloud platform. As a result, I was no longer being considered for the position. At this time, the Head of Engineering position is still posted.