Get out. Now. Let's review: - If you're helping run an early-stage company but you're not drawing a paycheck, you're a co-founder. This means you should have

Get out. Now. Let's review: - If you're helping run an early-stage company but you're not drawing a paycheck, you're a co-founder. This means you should have a significant amount of ownership, and you should be publicly acknowledged as a co-founder everywhere it's relevant. - Let's say you're an employee and not a co-founder. If the official founders are being paid and an employee isn't, the company is operating backwards. Employees should get paid first, then founders. - If the company is funded, then nobody should be working for free. - It's one thing to help out a friend running a company for free. I don't agree with it, but I can understand it. But when you have an actual title, especially one as important as "CTO", that crosses a line from "helping a friend out" to "employee or co-founder of the company".