It's a risk/reward calculation. There is a small possibility of pre-IPO stock being worth fuck you money. Google can't even off the possibility of fuck you mone

It's a risk/reward calculation. There is a small possibility of pre-IPO stock being worth fuck you money. Google can't even off the possibility of fuck you money, but they can offer decent money (although anecdotal evidence says they underpay) with low risk. Unfortunately for Google, many of their employees have risk/reward profiles closer to Facebook than Google. Random numbers: Facebook: Shares with a 1% chance of being worth $10m Google: Guaranteed $100,000. Same expected value, different tolerances for risk.