You're missing a lot with that analogy - which is that of everyone involved in the veature, the CEO has the most power. They have the most knowledge of anyone

You're missing a lot with that analogy - which is that of everyone involved in the veature, the CEO has the most power. They have the most knowledge of anyone and are the ultimate decision maker about the future of the venture. The CEO gets to make the choice: they can walk away any time, they can quit and they can shut things down. If they don't want to walk away, they get the strongest voice in decisions about what paths to take. They have all the knowledge they need about the venture on which to base those choices. They have the full picture, access to all the financial knowledge, the conversations with the investors, the data from the customers - everything. No one else in the venture has that. Even if others have the knowledge (in the case where the CEO operates with a rare level of extreme transparency) - they don't have the choices. That is not enslavement. With power, naturally, comes a lot of responsibility and that can feel heavy. Especially if you are ethical. But that is not enslavement. When you are enslaved, you have zero power.