Well... several possibilities. Could be that they are lying about revenues being small and just trying to squeeze you. That would be a bad thing. Or, could b

Well... several possibilities. Could be that they are lying about revenues being small and just trying to squeeze you. That would be a bad thing. Or, could be they're telling the truth and revenues are struggling. That is a bad sign in terms of financial health. Seeking to cut costs when times are hard can be a sign of responsible discipline or a sign of desperation. It's usually a bad sign that a company offers "great pay" and then has to dial it back. Generally seems like a lack of discipline and financial forecasting savvy and controls. It's hard to say what is going on here specifically. For most startups, you're dealing with inexperienced leadership and most often these measures are a very bad sign. But this may be an exception. How much experience do the founders have running companies? What % of pay did they ask you to cut? Can you ask if any layoffs are happening? Can you ask how much cash the company has, what monthly cash burn is and/or how much runway is left? You should ask for something in exchange for the reduction, if you take it. If you believe in the company, you could ask for equity. You could ask for an agreement that they give you at least, say, 8 weeks severance if they let you go (since accepting the pay cut will eat into your ability to save and leave you in a bad position if they need to lay you off). I'd brush up the ol' resume and start putting feelers out there, just to be safe! Try to ask some of the questions above and also think of what you'd like to receive in exchange for taking less cash pay. Good luck!