I see what you mean, but putting your work value at the company behest is a losing proposition. My work has value even if the company that commissioned it to me is unable to monetize it.<p>My time has a value which is independent to what the company pays me to actually do. My time would carry the same value even if the company got me to clean bathrooms.<p>If I had the willingness to start a company and spent my time there, how much money would I make? That&#x27;s the value of my time, but it carries quite some risk. I am not the best at monetizing software, so I outsource the monetization of my time and associated risks to a third party. They do get a substantial cut of the money, which is fine since I get reduced risk.<p>If you tie the value of your time to the capability of the company to direct you doing high value tasks you&#x27;re starting with the losing foot in any negotiation. What if you gave your time to a charity? What if the company needed you to debug some worthless software in the chain as an emergency? Your time has a value even if what you are told to build in your time from your employer has no value - it&#x27;s the employer loss, not yours.