From my limited understanding, in order for options to not be taxed as income by the IRS, the strike price must be the actual stock price when the option is iss

From my limited understanding, in order for options to not be taxed as income by the IRS, the strike price must be the actual stock price when the option is issued. I presume that the loan in question is to cover the exercise cost for the options, so that employees can afford to hold the shares instead of immediately liquidating them. Personally, I don’t like holding shares of my employer: There’s too much risk that an adverse event will take out both my salary and my savings at the same time.