[sillysaurus3]

Founders are not "workers" for YC. They're trying to do something exceptional with extremely scarce resources.

[user5994461]

Founders are workers. They are the ones doing all the work and throwing years of their life away.

[chii]

They are only workers if they do not to reap the benefits of their work 100%.

[user5994461]

Indeed, they are not workers.

Workers get paid for their work. Founders don't get a paycheck.

[aliakhtar]

Actually, they do. All employees of a company have to pay themselves a minimum wage, at least. Founders are employees in their own company. And they (usually) own majority stock in the company - if there is a payout for YC, founders make more money than YC does.