oh yes they are investor-like questions. And rightfully so. Employee is investing time in effort and receives compensation and equity in case of startups. If

oh yes they are investor-like questions. And rightfully so. Employee is investing time in effort and receives compensation and equity in case of startups. If equity is non-zero, then obviously employee will ask the same questions an investor would. Salaries in startups are lower than in most corporations - the difference is what employee might consider to be their cost of investing in the company.