It's called election 83(b). For it to work, the company grants you restricted stock instead of options. The restriction is that the company can buy back the sto

It's called election 83(b). For it to work, the company grants you restricted stock instead of options. The restriction is that the company can buy back the stock on a vesting schedule, so it's effectively equivalent to stock-options. The difference is that you can buy all of them on day 1 at fair market value and pay no tax. It's usually done for early employees who join before multiple rounds of funding occur.