

Ask HN: Can Paying Founders Too Much Hurt Productivity? - zabramow

Curious for anecdotal experiences or links to studies that explore correlation.
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MalcolmDiggs
IMHO there's a 'Goldilocks' zone for their pay. You want them earning enough
so that they don't need to take on a part-time job, but not so much that
they're content with the status quo. Keeping the founders "hungry"
(figuratively) is difficult, but anecdotally I'd say it's key to fostering a
winning culture.

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drallison
The question is badly stated. Asking about "paying founders too much" suggests
that negative effects are expected. What you seem to be asking is "What is the
relationship between founders pay and their productivity?". That should lead
to another question: "How do you measure productivity?".

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zabramow
Negative effects aren't "expected" \- but I've seen multiple instances where
early stage companies were paying certain founders too much and getting too
little in return. I also noticed that, broadly speaking, founders who were
taking less salary were producing more. I'm now wondering if there's a
correlation.

As far as measuring productivity - I'm defining it as meeting deadlines.

