I think he's talking about salary, which tends to go up when you're not a major ...

nikanj on July 5, 2014 | parent | context | favorite | on: Ask HN: How do you know when to quit your startup?

I think he's talking about salary, which tends to go up when you're not a major shareholder. They have to motivate you to stay with a higher base pay/bonuses, when they can't trust you to stay because you care for the company.