Most start-up leaders I've known are focused on their company's mission much more than on their personal wealth. That said, most also hope that if things work out well for the company, their personal stake might be worth a lot too.I believe that all successful Americans should pay their share of taxes to support our system and society. However, our wacky tax system means that some wealthy folks pay much lower tax rates than others... all by using a few perfectly legal techniques. You may have seen this informative-but-whiny piece from ProPublica, or Congress's proposed new tax plan as described by The NYT: The House Ways and Means Committee’s proposal to pay for trillions in social spending leaves wealth gains and inheritances largely alone. It focuses instead on a more traditional target: income.