[alexkorchinski]

Nope - no equity. Was a few months away from my one year cliff.

I still haven't figured it out yet. I haven't spoken with the CEO since it happened. I do know that there was meaningful blowback within the team, but that's about it.

[ronaldx]

Apologies for the cynicism:

A 'one year cliff' creates incentive for a sacking just inside a year. Employees should consider whether it's in their best interest.

Best wishes for the future.

[xradionut]

"Was a few months away from my one year cliff."

Money. That's the reason. Had it happen to me a couple of times in the Web 1.0 days. Greed ruined some great products, a few companies and not a few friendships.

[michaelochurch]

Nope - no equity. Was a few months away from my one year cliff.

You are surprisingly restrained for someone who got cliffed.

Did you get a severance, at least? An Agreement of Introduction? (That is, the CEO agrees to a positive reference and to introduce you to investors on favorable terms, preferably in a legally binding document.) If not, you should have burned the company down. AoI is the absolute minimum you should take after getting cliffed like that.

If you have savings, it can sometimes be wise to let them go on severance (they're cash-strapped) and take the AoI, because a good reference (+ intros) from a CEO can do a lot for your career. On the other hand, if you got no equity, no severance, and no AoI and you didn't blow the company up, then you're a pussy (no offense).

[alexkorchinski]

Nope, none of those. I did get about 18 days of severance pay. The CEO did offer to make introductions, but nothing legally binding. I still like the company and the team - no use burning bridges. I like to leave on good terms.

[YuriNiyazov]

You are mindblowingly naive.