Why I regret selling my startup for billions [Video]

This story is part of CNBC Make It’s The Moment series, where highly successful people reveal the critical moment that changed the trajectory of their lives and careers, discussing what drove them to make the leap into the unknown.

Jyoti Bansal got to live out a scenario that most people can only dream about: He built his own startup, got an acquisition offer he couldn’t refuse and sold it for billions.

Today, it’s among his biggest regrets.

Bansal, 46, is the founder of software developer AppDynamics, which was preparing to go public in 2017 when tech giant Cisco swooped in at the last minute, offering to buy the company for $3.7 billion. The deal made hundreds of the startup’s employees, Bansal included, instantly wealthy. But what should have been a joyous moment became Bansal’s “saddest day,” he tells CNBC Make It.

Bansal had long dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur, and worked as a Silicon Valley software engineer for eight …