I've seen this too, but it was because those people were early/founding members and got some significant equity or options package as a result. If you're not o

I've seen this too, but it was because those people were early/founding members and got some significant equity or options package as a result. If you're not one of those people at your company or there isn't a high chance of your equity being worth something in the future, sticking around isn't going to lead to more money. I'd also note that in many of the cases I've personally seen, those people actually did leave at some point but came back, sometimes even multiple times over the years. They were valuable enough to the company (or at least were perceived to be by leadership) that they could pretty much come and go as they pleased.