Stock Options 101: The Basics

You got an offer with equity in it. Do you take it?

Most engineers say yes without really knowing what they signed. How many shares exist in total? What does the strike price mean? What happens to your slice when the next round closes? And why can the tax bill arrive years before any actual money does?

This is the honest version of that conversation. Three engineers who have lived all three endings, including an acquisition, a shutdown, and an IPO, walk you through equity from the day it lands in your offer to the day it turns into money, or doesn't, using one running example: John, weighing two job offers to see which one is actually worth more.

By the end you will be able to read an equity offer instead of guessing at it: the ownership percentage behind the share count, the difference between a transparent grant and a "trust us" one, the red flags that should make you negotiate in salary instead, and how to size your risk to your own life stage rather than the pitch deck.

Every term is defined as we go, so no prior finance background is needed. Built for engineers, designers, and product people at any level, from a first startup offer to a fourth. Bring your questions; we close with a live Q&A.