I was the third "employee" at an internet startup (maybe the fourth, I forget) after the CEO and the lead tech guy, and I got...$5/hr as a 1099 consultant. That's actually more like $8 in today's money. I just looked it up and it was the same year eBay (AuctionWeb) was founded. Coincidentally my boss asked me to (with hindsight) basically create eBay and I didn't have a clue where to start or the necessary hubris. After that, they figured I wasn't useful as a programmer (I was hired to answer the phones).