Valve is far from a startup. They're over 15 years old and something like 300 employees.

So people should go be employees somewhere at 1/2 pay and bust their ass so the owners can sell and never have to worry about money again? Life can stop being about money, when everything required to live stop costing money. Food, shelter, education, healthcare all require money. Want to have kids, money. Want to travel and see the world, yep that also cost money.

Startups are exciting and fun, but their success is gauged by a single metric - money. When startups get acquired there are endless congratulations on this very site. And rightly so, the owners should be rewarded for their work.

In the end I guess you're right. I don't belong at a startup as an employee making 1/2 my salary. I either need adequate pay and/or an equity stake to work at one.

Life shouldn't be all about the money, agreed, but it is reasonable for someone to require enough salary to not run into the red every month paying for basic living expenses. Also, while money isn't a good motivator (see D. Pink), not enough money can be a terrific de-motivator.

Like anything, there's a reasonable-middle as to the salary requirements for an individual.