I have no idea why you're bringing some contorted-beyond-recognition Trolley problem into this.
The situation is more like:
1) Founder hires an employee at a depressed salary using the possibility of making it big via vested options to compensate for lost income.
2) Employee works first, second, and third years performing to satisfaction.
3) Before IPO, founder goes "I can make that employee give up their money through a threat of firing them."
Actually, isn't that pretty much the situation?
If we really want to talk analogies, it's like if someone took a health insurance policy, but when they get really sick and the "big payout," the insurance company cuts them off because they haven't contributed enough to merit the million dollar payout.
The situation is more like:
1) Founder hires an employee at a depressed salary using the possibility of making it big via vested options to compensate for lost income.
2) Employee works first, second, and third years performing to satisfaction.
3) Before IPO, founder goes "I can make that employee give up their money through a threat of firing them."
Actually, isn't that pretty much the situation?
If we really want to talk analogies, it's like if someone took a health insurance policy, but when they get really sick and the "big payout," the insurance company cuts them off because they haven't contributed enough to merit the million dollar payout.