[nadeemk]

It's not only reasonable but very crucial for you to ask the total number of outstanding shares. I have made it a point to ask every company this question and have gotten an answer out of them. Also, and this is me, I don't trust a word recruiters say. Not a single word. Ask to talk to the VP (or if possible CEO directly) if the recruiter is being cagey about it.

[mahyarm]

Usually recruiters are told not to tell people the number. And usually they don't know themselves. So it's probably coming from the top.