The quote in your last response, the one that you said you'd be ok with it: I I think that's exactly what he said only in different words. when I worked at Netflix I remember a talented young engineer in my team that made millions from stock options and was miserable...
Only after he left Netflix he started blooming again and I've been following him on LinkedIn and he's been doing great since. And you know what, there are pretty good chances that even that this guy is now a CTO of some company he still doesn't make the amounts he would be making if he hadn't left. But that's alright. I bet he doesn't look back....

I myself had a wonderful time at Netflix but I'm glad to be where I'm at today. Money is a big factor in our lives, and when the term "golden handcuffs" is used, it means that we're our own prisoners, nobody forces us to do anything we don't want to. So yes money is super important, but keep in mind that it's important in order to be able to do things, have the freedom to choose and etc. THAT'S why money is important. Money doesn't have any value for itself. Only for what you'll do with it.

Giving up financial comfort for an unknown future is not an easy step. And I can assure you he's not stupid (it's not easy to get a job at Netflix), and of course there's a risk he'll be sorry for it later, that's exactly why it's so terrifying step to take.

As for your first comment: I lived in the bay area for 11 years, 4 of them I worked for Netflix so everything I write here is from my personal experience (which could be different from other people living in the bay of course!).