I think golden handcuffs are a bandaid, but it can stop the bleeding. It didn't work on me (I was willing to walk away from huge ISO incentives long before ves

I think golden handcuffs are a bandaid, but it can stop the bleeding. It didn't work on me (I was willing to walk away from huge ISO incentives long before vesting because I (probably foolishly) valued job happiness more than money), but it does work on a lot of people. I don't know a long-term structural solution, for exactly the reason you mention: > I'd be hesitant to rely on these as a candidate, because I'd have to assume I'd get fired at year 6-7 or something so that the company could save money. Trust is at an all-time low right now, and for good reason. It very well might take years to turn the ship around. I think it will have to start with the big companies as a small company trying to do this will only put themselves at a disadvantage, but any exec at a big company proposing this would probably be dismissed as they heavily favor short-term over the long-term (by their actions, not necessarily words, but IMHO actions are all that really matters). Basically it's a Tragedy of the Commons problem.