I was founding engineer, like my friend Prem. This is how I think about the founder-employee social contract, now that I’m a founder. Founders must recognize that financial scales are wildly different between ourselves and employees. For example, when I joined a company as first engineer, I had to pay five figures just to early exercise all my equity. I was a new grad, and any salary bump was game-changing. In contrast, a founder with a few years of career experience typically has more savings and doesn't have to pay to obtain their equity. In big acquisitions, liquidation for a founder can be the difference between being a billionaire and a very rich millionaire. For an employee it’s the difference in whether their student loans are paid out, whether they can rent a bigger apartment, or whether they can become a homeowner. Founders hold the cards in acquisitions and we should advocate for employees to be paid out. Employees are a privilege. They are betting their career and wealth on us. We have to honor that and look out for our people.