[marvin]

I can't believe people are actually willing to sign those kinds of agreements. If you can't sell you shares and the company can basically buy them back at will, the ownership is just theoretical. It's like getting monopoly money with the added clause that you may exchange it for real money if the owners get rich and want let you perform the exchange.

Please tell me that at least some companies have reasonable agreements with their employees/shareholders. Otherwise it's like someone else said a few months ago, Silicon Valley is just overrun with sleazy leadership types who do their best to screw over their employees.

[dschuler]

I couldn't believe it either, and left that place pretty quickly. I still talk to a lot of people that work there, and I get the feeling that they live in this bubble where they assume everything will work out for the best. To them, I'm just cynical.

I hope that this isn't the rule in most places, but I wouldn't know :/

[greedo]

A players get to negotiate stock option agreements. The average employee is given options as part of their compensation package, and there usually isn't much flexibility on management's part. At least that's my experience in the four dotcoms I've worked for.