> More likely yes if it's a lower level employee, less likely if it's a very senior executive and a larger amount, but those are more often in equity or explici

> More likely yes if it's a lower level employee, less likely if it's a very senior executive and a larger amount, but those are more often in equity or explicitly to make up for lost options in a previous company. The thing is, the higher level employees are the ones most likely to have brought in a lawyer to review their employment agreement and to have negotiated explicitly for getting a clause for this type of payout if they are let go. These are often referred to as a golden parachute or golden handshake... Basically, fire someone near the top, whose mismanagement is likely responsible for problems, you have to pay out the nose; fire a low level employee, you pay next to nothing.