&gt; am I completely a chump?<p>It&#x27;s human nature to trust people, until proven otherwise.<p>Your CEO might even have magnetic charm on par with Richard Branson or Steve Jobs. Their gift for words hit the right buttons. Who wouldn&#x27;t want to go into partnership with those guys? Time reveals if they actually make good and deliver.<p>We should all think in terms of highest &amp; best use of our time.  Relative to proving your worth-- imagine what this position might have yielded had you been paid at contractor rates. You&#x27;ve invested your time in the CEO.  Has he proven his worth back to you?