“As an aside, some companies now write in a repurchase right on vested shares at the current common price when an employee leaves. It’s fine if the company wants to offer to repurchase the shares, but it’s horrible for the company to be able to demand this.”

— Sam Altman, YC

What can you do about it? Ask before you join:

“Can the company take back my vested shares?”

— Mary Russell, Stock Option Counsel

For more from Sam Altman, see his post, Employee Equity. For more on questions to ask to make sure you have true startup equity, see our post, Startup Equity Standards - A Guide for Employees.

Attorney Mary Russell counsels individual employees and founders to negotiate, maximize and monetize their stock options and other startup stock. You are invited to contact Stock Option Counsel for help in negotiating and evaluating your job offers and post-acquisition employment agreements, making stock option exercise and tax decisions and identifying your rights and opportunities to sell startup stock.

Startup Equity Standards - A Guide for Employees from StockOptionCnsl

Learn the three standards that define Startup Equity and three questions to ask to know if you have the real thing.

1. Ownership - “Can the company take back my vested shares?”

2. Risk/Reward - “What information can you provide to help me evaluate the offer?”

3. Tax Benefits - “Is this equity designed for capital gains tax rates and tax deferral?”