[CapnObvious]

I've heard a similar BS line before "Oh, here's 100,000 shares, but we can't tell you the total number of outstanding shares because _________" (fill in the blank excuse: it's confidential, Mr Rogers likes chocolate, I'm constipated, whatever).

If you don't know the total number of shares and the percentage stake of that you've been offered, and the price of your options, the number of shares is worthless.

I think in this situation, a startup will usually say this when they're trying to screw you, but that's just my opinion. Keep in mind they will likely fail and your 30k options will be nothing but a piece of paper.

My advice? Find another company to work for that is less shady.

[burnout1540]

It turns out the hiring manager was under the impression it was confidential since no one had ever asked him before. He's an engineer, so I can forgive him for not knowing.

While the stock options aren't great, I was able to get them to up the salary by a lot, so I ended up accepting the job. If they didn't have such a good track record I probably would have run the other way. Either way, the comments on this board helped me negotiate a much better salary even if my options are mostly worthless.

[CapnObvious]

well thats good then. you'll certainly learn a lot from this experience whether the company is boom or bust.

good luck!