Lottery tickets still have value.

Probably not, because even in the 1% when the startup succeeds, there is probably some gotcha. It will turn out that your share was diluted, or your shares are not priority shares unlike the shares that your boss owns, etc... unless you are an expert, you have no idea about the dozen ways you can be screwed even in the unlikely case that the startup succeeds.

> just that it isn’t uncommon for options to be worth a lot.

You're deluding yourself here. On average, the vast, vast majority of equity options, _especially_ in the VC backed tech world, turn out to nothing for the employee.

You literally built a tool because there's so many variables, and in the majority of cases, all these variables do not align in a way that results in a payment.

This is almost the literal definition of "uncommon". It is uncommon for options to materialise into a large amount of value for employees.

I respect your tool, and I respect what you're doing. But you need to be honest with yourself and the rest of the world. If you want to help young or new people in this area, then don't perpetuate the myth that startup tech company options are statistically any better than a lottery ticket.