Yeah, it's the fact that time isn't regarded as an asset being contributed is what burns my mind. For the salary I received, I think there is a reasonable expectation from the company's point of view that they get 40-50 hours of work. Anything beyond that, in my humblest of opinions, is me investing in the company. There is a logistical problem in accounting for this, obviously, and I'm far from naive on this and other points, but the underlying point remains.

I worked my ass off at a startup, sleeping under the desk, weekends. The usual. At one point I needed a break and informed them that I was taking a break. Two months cycling through Europe.

When I came back, they'd moved and I had the best cubicle reserved for my return. They missed me but only because I forced the issue.