[gchadwick]

Yup, he keeps going to back to things said in conversations, talking about him being a shareholder.

He doesn't mention any contracts he saw, or signed

(At least this is the impression I get from the TL;DR, maybe the full article discusses contract more).

Always read the contract. Even with my standard large company job, with a perfectly normal benefits package I read the contract and took the time to understand it.

If you're doing something complex like becoming a shareholder in a private small business understand what you're getting it to (or in this case not getting it to at all).

[eropple]

Your overall point is worth taking, but it's also worth appreciating that verbal contracts are still contracts.

Dude got screwed.