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If you think that an engineer is replaceable, why isn't the rest of the early employees? Or do you mean that only founders should get any equity?

I'm not quite sure what your comparison does. If you build a company fundamentally built on the work of good drivers or cleaners, yeah perhaps you should give them equity.

If you just contract that work out once in a while for a company that doesn't have these jobs at its core, then probably don't.

But also, most drivers, cleaners, and (to a lesser degree) repairman can be more easily replaced. The former two in particular don't require any special skills normal people don't already have to possess. And where skills come into play, we're still not looking at 4+ years of college required type of skills. Hence, there's not as much supply of engineers as there is for repairmen. And the roles you describe do not fundamentally create anything. Engineers, in particular early engineers in a startup actually design, construct, operate, and maintain 80% of what is actually generating value. Other roles supporting them also deserve a piece of the pie but questioning why engineers should get equity at all and someone having an idea and the funds to kickstart a company should get all seems odd.