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You still lost that money though, the optionality isn't worth anything because you gain nothing on the RSUs by switching jobs.
by tanderson92 7y ago
You still lost that money though, the optionality isn't worth anything because you gain nothing on the RSUs by switching jobs.
- klipt 7y agoDepends how good you are at interviewing. You might get offered even more RSUs elsewhere.
- liuyipei 7y agoI think what OP was trying to say was that fluctuations in RSU-valuation increases the extrinsic value of your option to switch jobs.
- ThrustVectoring 7y agoCorrect. I wouldn't use the term "extrinsic value", though, because it only explains what I'm thinking to people already exposed to real option analysis.
- ThrustVectoring 7y agoThat's not exactly what I'm saying, it's easier to discuss with an arbitrary example: suppose you get a job offer for $100k in cash and 1000 RSUs at a current stock price of $100. I'm saying that you should value this at slightly more than $200k/yr. Suppose after some time you start looking for jobs again, get another offer worth $215k/yr, and the stock price has done some movement. If the price is above $115/share, this would be a pay cut, so you decline the offer and state what it would take to get you on board. If it's below $115/share, you accept the job offer and get a pay raise. This is what I mean by "optionality" here. If your employer's stock does well, you get an automatic raise from staying put. If your employer's stock does poorly, you get a raise with effort from finding alternate employment. You are more exposed to upside than downside in your employer's stock - it's effectively a call option with a strike price equal to the difference between your current cash compensation and your best alternative to negotiated agreement.
- tanderson92 7y agoGot it, thanks.