You should check with your attorney and HR person (or company), but employment in the United Stats is largely at will. This means you can change the terms at an

You should check with your attorney and HR person (or company), but employment in the United Stats is largely at will. This means you can change the terms at any time (unless you have a contract that can't be terminated or something). There are a small number of obscure local laws around a "plant shutdown" that require that you give a certain amount of notice if you're going to a certain number of people. Priceline, if I remember correctly, got in trouble over this back in the dotcom days when they let go of like 100 people. It's hard to cut salaries, but if your startup is going to die you might have no choice. One startup I remember essentially fired everyone had them reapply for their jobs in order to save the company. It's hard times... i hope folks make it to the other side. all the best, jason