there is definitely some of that. i can think of two former employers where i was one of the first ten employees, and i really enjoyed the work in the beginning. then they got bigger and things started to suck.

at the other end of the spectrum, there are the rockstar programmers who pretty much never have this kind of problem. they are always sought after, they can pretty much name their own game. they don't have to deal with lousy employers for one second, because there's always somebody offering them something better.

i'm not one of those guys. but i'm aiming to get good enough at the game that i don't always dislike my job, at least.