It's been my point of view since the first dot-com crash that my employer and I are "even" every payday. I've done my work, and been compensated for it. I'm not sure what else one can reasonably expect.
Personally, I go about things in the same way, but hope I get a union job I just applied for. IMO, that changes the whole solidarity/loyalty relationship.
Alternatively, if the business makes losses rather than profits, would you kick in your share to keep things even?
- I pay my employees far less than what I can bill my clients.
- However, if there is no client, I still pay my employees their full rate.
- I pay all associated costs: Workplace and equipment, health insurance, paid holidays, accounting, lawyers where needed, ...
- I pay for the acquisition costs for new jobs
- I bear the full risk of a job going wrong and pay for all settlement costs involved
- I pay the difference if a job is not profitable because the employee fucked up and everything takes longer than planned.
- I get to organise a replacement if the employee falls ill.
Now, $15/hr and $150/hr is quite a bit of a margin, but we don't know if it's before or after taxes and what benefits are included in the pay package. From my personal experience a factor of 4-5 is on the lower end of profitability, so a factor of 10 may still be reasonable.
I invested a lot of capital and time in the company and the reputation that allows me to charge a high rate. That investment needs to pay of at some point.
You choose the safer of two alternatives by getting employed. If you prefer the high risk, high reward route, the go freelance but don't be surprised if things don't go as smooth as you'd think.
/s