The problem is that this situation creates a death spiral for the company. If they are missing payroll they are literally out of money. Any investor willing to put money in is going to do their due diligence. This means the investor is going to be aware of just how badly the company needs this investment, which typically leads to the terms being very unfavorable, which typically leads to your equity being very unvaluable.
So, without knowing more about the specifics at this point, I would say that you are working for free, and unlikely to have any stock options you have ever amount to anything of value.
Everyone has their own reasons, but one of the reasons I work for startups is because of the equity. When the future value of the equity is at or near zero, it's no longer an interesting or worthwhile proposition for me.
You should have a good enough feel for the pulse of the company to know if there if you are close enough to sustainability that maybe a little extra cash will get you across the finish line, or just delay the inevitable. My guess though is that it is time to start looking.
So, without knowing more about the specifics at this point, I would say that you are working for free, and unlikely to have any stock options you have ever amount to anything of value.
Everyone has their own reasons, but one of the reasons I work for startups is because of the equity. When the future value of the equity is at or near zero, it's no longer an interesting or worthwhile proposition for me.
You should have a good enough feel for the pulse of the company to know if there if you are close enough to sustainability that maybe a little extra cash will get you across the finish line, or just delay the inevitable. My guess though is that it is time to start looking.