Yes, this also happened at the startup I was working at. Every Monday we'd assign tasks for the week. The founders were happy -- or in any case they never men

Yes, this also happened at the startup I was working at. Every Monday we'd assign tasks for the week. The founders were happy -- or in any case they never mentioned it -- but everyone else (there were five of us) were working at 10-20% capacity. This is a bad sign. It probably means the founders don't have a clear vision for the company, otherwise it'd be clear to them and everyone else what to do. Or they have information they're not communicating -- also a bad sign. This is a startup. You have to approach it with complete, unadulterated honesty. Don't hold back. The founders, if they're good, should thank you. If they're bad they will get defensive or angry. They need to see it as getting valuable information, giving them the opportunity to improve the situation. Of course, if they don't have a clear vision then that's the root cause. It's really disrespectful to hire people with no purpose, IMO, never mind a waste or resources.