1/2/3/4 is much more common in acquisitions than it is anywhere else, so maybe the dystopia that is these kind of deals will become the norm for regular hiring.
Not sure what you mean about class of stock. Almost all employee options are common stock. Good point about repurchase rights. I should probably add a section on that. On the 90 day issue, usually those ISOs are converted to NQSOs after 90 days.
The reason I brought this up is that there are some founders who believe if you only stick around a year or two, you aren't loyal so you shouldn't get any stock. Some companies have repurchase rights. I was trying to suggest a way for employees who leave after a year or two to keep what they've vested and appease those founders who take a hard line about buy backs. I think this norm will be difficult to change although Sam Altman also discussed it in a post in recent years.
This Thursday, I'm launching FounderLine, a LIVE webcast devoted to helping startup founders succeed. Every week I'll have a guest entrepreneur or investor join me to answer startup-related questions that come in via phone, email, tweet, etc. The show will be live every Thursday from 5-6pm Pacific Time starting this week.
I would greatly appreciate it if you could share this post and spread the word to any startup-minded people out there. More information online at founderline.com. Thanks so much!
What is the tone of the show? Is it focused more around the deal flow aspect of the startup ecosystem, or are you going to field more general, "art of the startup" questions?
Feverish, I think it will depend upon the callers and email questions. Some specific "I'm having this issue with my co-founder or investor" and some general "how do I start a company." All are welcome! Be sure to tune in Thursday!
