> My personal rule of thumb right now is that the odds of getting equity that's worth a damn if I'm not a co-founder would typically not be worth it, so I make decisions based on the rest of the compensation package.

This is, for most employees, the correct approach. The reality is that most of the information you might ask for and be provided is usually going to be of limited value and for a limited period of time unless you happen to join the company right before its final financing or an exit. Put more simply, equity structure is typically not static.

If you join a company in part because you like the equity structure at Series A, you have no guarantee that the equity structure will be as appealing to you after the Series B or C.