> The correct amount to value your options at is $0. Think of them more as a lottery ticket. This is trivially false. Lottery tickets are not worth $0. Take th

> The correct amount to value your options at is $0. Think of them more as a lottery ticket. This is trivially false. Lottery tickets are not worth $0. Take that into account when evaluating this commentary. Basically, 90 day exercise windows are evil and the source of great pain. However my view is the author is folding in a bunch of anxiety around the general risk of startups. They seem to imply that a primary reason for delaying an IPO is employee retention. This is a poorly supported theory. Golden handcuffs are not a great retention tool as a poorly motivated employee is minimally productive. Rather the primary reasons to stay private are higher valuations afforded by the private market and less regulatory oversight. Look, if you can get an awesome RSU offer from a super solid public company then go for it. But don't buy into the implication here that startups barely offer better deals. Do look for an extended exercise window since companies are staying private longer these days. But generally speaking you're going to get a significantly bigger chunk of options in a startup than a mature company, with commensurate risk. Do it if you believe in the startup and handle the uncertainty. It is not the same as a lottery ticket; you can improve the odds with your own labor.