[god_bless_texas]

I don't know if I've been unlucky twice, but I think the biggest problem I see with working at a startup is the lack of transparency on runway and the security of whatever form of compensation I am getting. Twice now (in 2 diff companies) I have been stuck in the position of finding out with only a few days' notice that paychecks are not getting wired and we're hunting an investor to bail us out.

Somehow it has become ingrained that a CEO's job is to build everyone up and paint the vision. Well, that's great but somewhere along the way we forgot about the basics of personnel management. Think a co-founder is taking a chance by going without a salary? How about the dude with options and a family.

Sure, people know what they are getting into when they join a startup - or should - but I yearn for YC's next class on "Startup Ethics 101".

[snowmaker]

FWIW, we would consider that kind of behavior from founders to be utterly unacceptable - like Theranos-level unacceptable. I'm sorry that happened to you.

[jlangenauer]

It's not even ethics, it's straight out theft. If you agree to pay someone for work, they perform the work, and you fail to pay them, that's theft. Or fraud, if you prefer.

Either way, they are crimes, and company owners who fail to pay their employees should do jail time.