[lujim]

I think what he is doing is pretty cool. Remember however that although he may be working with people every bit as smart and productive as he is, starting a business is massively risky. I believe in 3-5 years it amounts to a coin flip. He is earning a risk premium. If you buy a risk free US Treasury Bond you expect to earn (much) less yield than the dividends on a share of Exxon or Apple.

He is an entrepreneur/founder. He isn't just a company hopping CEO with soft landings and golden parachutes galore. I think an entrepreneur deserves a solid risk premium.

[yaps8]

I don't know how this company works financially but would it be possible that he is not risking much ?

They might be in a position where they don't have too much debt or it would not be tied to him and not put him in a difficult situation if it failed.

The bottom line might be that the risky part of founding the company is over.

[lujim]

That could very well be. That article does mention that he was nearly wiped out by the great recession in 2008. At one point he was putting it all on the line and the risk was very real. I think you are probably right in saying that the risk premium may change over time. I guess I don't know how much that reward should be and how long it should pay off for.

When comparing stocks and bonds you use the risk free interest rate and take a stocks volatility compared to the broad market into account. Maybe the volatility of the business should be a consideration.