I think it's a tradeoff between: - a potentially earlier monetization event where the shares might not be above water when lockouts expire and - a potentiall

I think it's a tradeoff between: - a potentially earlier monetization event where the shares might not be above water when lockouts expire and - a potentially later monetization even where the hype would hopefully keep the shares high enough to be valuable after the lockout period That being said, anyone who joins a startup thinking their options/shares have assured value is a fool. My own personal experience netted me a few K in exchange for a lot of anguish.