# 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…

- **URL:** https://zomra.io/free-sessions/stock-options-101-the-basics
- **Type:** Free session
- **Last updated:** August 5, 2026
- **Starts:** August 22, 2026 at 11:00 AM
- **Duration:** 90 minutes
- **Hosted by:** Mostafa Zaher
- **Registered attendees:** 105
- **Price:** Free

## Why attend

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.

## What you will learn

- What equity actually is, and why startups offer it instead of a bigger salary
- Stock options vs RSUs: strike price, vesting, cliffs, and which one you were really given
- How fundraising works: pre-money vs post-money valuation, and why every round dilutes you
- How to evaluate a real offer: ownership %, fully diluted shares, liquidation preferences, and red flags
- Exits, taxes and timing: when equity turns into cash, and why the tax bill can arrive first

## Requirements

- No finance background needed: every term is defined during the session
- Anyone who holds equity, has been offered it, or expects to be: no stage or seniority assumed
- Roughly 90 minutes of undivided attention: the concepts build on each other
- Come with questions: the session ends with an open Q&A

## Speakers

### Mohammad Fouad

- https://www.linkedin.com/in/mfouad

### George Salama

- https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-salamaa/

## Registration

Register at https://zomra.io/free-sessions/stock-options-101-the-basics