Exactly - which is why our recruitment interviews were very tough.My observation is that while some people thrive on that kind of pressure, the majority of people do not.
We paid for example around £60k-£85k to software engineers who were on £24k at their previous company.
We also gave new recruits real stock - not stock options.
The first 80 or so staff stood to make a FORTUNE in the event of an IPO.
Sadly after four years we were taken over rather than going to an IPO ... so no millions after all.
However it was a fun filled four years. Working for a Microsoft-like startup was something I had always wanted to do - and it was something I would not have missed experiencing.