RSU's aren't as good a deal as the equivalent worth in salary, but are a better deal than a lower salary, unless the company stock tanks. They allow the busine

RSU's aren't as good a deal as the equivalent worth in salary, but are a better deal than a lower salary, unless the company stock tanks. They allow the business to transfer some of the risk from them to you. Basically a kind of I'll pay you more if I can. Think of it as, I'll pay you X dollars now, and in 4 years, I'll pay you an additional Y dollars * how much I can afford, unless you no longer work here. Where "how much I can afford" is basically the stock price. It's better than the same salary without RSU. It's worse than a higher salary of equal worth. For anything in between, it depends on your risk tolerance and when you'll need the money.