From what I've seen, a lot of early-stage employees are aware of the game, or at least that they can only count on the salary they're receiving (and only for no

From what I've seen, a lot of early-stage employees are aware of the game, or at least that they can only count on the salary they're receiving (and only for now). This is why you often find that the employees at startups are mediocre (outside of the founding team) - those who can get a job at a more established, respected company are doing exactly that.