Stock like that MAY not be valueless but it certainly CAN be. The company may fire you when a project is done, or sooner (all your RSUs: $0). The company may

Stock like that MAY not be valueless but it certainly CAN be. The company may fire you when a project is done, or sooner (all your RSUs: $0). The company may go out of business, and the “fine print” will certainly say that the big-boy investors receive a piece of the pie first before owners of restricted stock (all your RSUs: $0). Some of your RSUs may vest, turning into real stock, yet if you took the job assuming they would “probably” be worth $X, they could be worth anything by the time you vest (including much, much, much lower than you thought). Also, no one requires you to invest in an ESPP. Clearly stock in a single company can have tremendous returns but it is foolish to treat that like anything but pure gambling from a run-your-life point of view.