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What about if your equity is in stock-options that haven't been exercised, and after you leave you only have 90 days to exercise them? :)

• StevePerkins 10y ago
  An option isn't equity. It is, by tautology, an option to purchase equity. By and large, options are just a symbolic gesture. I'm sure there are some people who've reaped a bounty from them... but it's exceeding rare, and even if everything goes right they still require a liquidity event that isn't guaranteed to include you. The first couple of times I got stock options, I exercised them... and ended up using them as a tax write-off later when they became worthless. Now, I sit on them like an old comic book that might become valuable someday... and wouldn't think twice about letting them disappear if I change jobs.
  • jc4p 10y ago
    An option isn't equity, but I would wager that a lot of people who subscribe to the "if I have equity I'm family" model are naive enough to not know that. I definitely agree with your attitude on them, I really wish startup culture didn't frown upon electing to receive higher salary and no equity.