It's risk/reward. Let's say it takes you 2-3 years of savings to save up enough to live 1 year without a salary. If you're committed to your startup you could t

It's risk/reward. Let's say it takes you 2-3 years of savings to save up enough to live 1 year without a salary. If you're committed to your startup you could take no pay at all to try to start your business. It's risky, some would say foolish, but that's why you have the upside of all the equity. Once you start offering someone enough of a salary to get by, even if it's less than market price, they still don't have as much skin in the game as someone "risking it all." I'm not saying you should risk it all, I'm just saying some founders choose to.