> But my litmus test is: if you quit, would the project die instantly? Then you are the CEO and you should get more. I know of several technical startups produ

> But my litmus test is: if you quit, would the project die instantly? Then you are the CEO and you should get more. I know of several technical startups products where the CEO can be replaced. Those companies would die if key technical people left. Since some of them have replaced CEOs already, their CEOs were not essential. Are they doing it wrong? Should they have the tech people take on CEO responsibilities in addition to their tech work? What benefit will they get that compensates for the loss of tech productivity that will result from said shift?