> Early employees are taking almost as much risk as founders.
Why do you say almost? I'd say most of them are taking more, as most of them won't have a seat at the board, IOW they have less control over the direction of the company.
Good points! Most of the time, though, employees draw a (slightly) bigger salary than the founders, at least until real funding (Series A or B) is obtained. Then unless the company changes its compensation model the balance definitely and clearly shifts: employees are taking bigger risks.
Why do you say almost? I'd say most of them are taking more, as most of them won't have a seat at the board, IOW they have less control over the direction of the company.