It's not an equation, but for employee options my gut has always been that you get options as a function of how much your improve the odds of the company's ulti

It's not an equation, but for employee options my gut has always been that you get options as a function of how much your improve the odds of the company's ultimate success. Founders get a lot because they take it from zero to something. Senior folks get a lot because the influence it significantly. Early grants > Later grants because the ability to change the trajectory is typically smaller.