Has “investing early” in a company changed (gotten harder?) over the last few decades?

Everyone wishes they invested in AAPL or GOOGL (sorry if those are bad examples) at IPO, but it seems like the nature of an IPO has changed in my brief time watching the market, and I'm wondering if anyone can either support or refute my theory. IPOs these days seem to be much bigger promoted events now, with higher prices for shares, meaning that “getting in early” is much less accessible than it once was. Add in all the ways day trading has evolved over a generation, and it just seems like a different world. The idea of “had I invested $10 in AAPL when I was young I would be a millionaire!” seems impossible now, but its very possible my lack of breadth on this topic is making me misunderstand the situation.

Apologies if this is the wrong sub, or if this question is just blatantly moronic.

Thanks.