[idunno246]

Yes, they are stock and not options, so you own them outright without needing to buy. So once vested you can sell, and owe tax immediately since they have real value.

Usually you’re given a number of shares when you join, and the value of those shares change as they vest. This can lead to some really overinflated comp packages if a person joins before huge growth that a new person would not get.

There’s often restrictions around when you can sell while still employ by that company to avoid insider trading laws, like you can sell right before earnings reports.

[nodesocket]

That's what I thought. Public company stock is so much better than options. It's guaranteed income/value, unlike options, and when you leave you don't have to pay for them.

[idunno246]

I took a “pay cut” moving to a public company, unless you discount the startup claims of value, as you should since a dollar of options is worth significantly less than a dollar of public stock, and financially much much better off

[ithkuil]

You're guaranteed to receive some stock. As for the value, that depends on the company performance. But yeah being public stock you know how.much is worth and you can actually sell it