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When To Consider Taking Shares In an IT Company?

Posted by timothy on from the opportunity-costs-and-the-time-value-of-time dept.

pgpark writes "I've been working as a key resource for a small IT consulting firm in the US. While the job has been interesting and the company's growth quite impressive over the last few years, it's been almost half a dozen years now and being ready for something new, I was ready to quit for consulting. It looks like the CEO would prefer to see me stay, as she is offering me ten percent of shares in the company in exchange for five additional years of my services. So the big question for me now is 'should I stay or should I go now?' Have you guys on Slashdot ever been dealing with such a situation? What points would you consider in order to make your choice?"

9 of 315 comments (clear)

  1. Well by Neil+Blender · · Score: 4, Funny

    If you are low on toilet paper. Other than that, never.

  2. Re:Ask for Revenue Sharing and Shares by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    That advice is worthless without
      - ???
    and
      - Profit

  3. Re:Ask for Revenue Sharing and Shares by Joe+U · · Score: 2, Funny

    I wish I did.

    My shares were at least printed on nice soft paper, so I got some use out of them.

  4. Too late by daybot · · Score: 4, Funny

    When To Consider Taking Shares In an IT Company ?

    March 9, 2000. You missed it.

  5. Re:Agree, talk with a lawyer by plover · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yeah, I gotta call BS on this one. The lawyers "agreed she had a valid claim", but it would cost her $50,000 in legal fees so it wasn't worth it? For $2,000,000? Let's see, $50K from $2 mil leaves... 1.95 MILLION DOLLARS! I guess the lawyers didn't want the money either? Give me a break.

    What the poster didn't tell us is that she used to work for the Undersecretary of the Oil Ministry of Nigeria, and she was to be given the options for her assistance in helping move TWO MILLION DOLLARS overseas, for which she merely had to advance the small sum of $50,000.

    It was all legal, of course, as long as it remained in strictest confidence.

    --
    John
  6. Re:Ask for Revenue Sharing and Shares by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Turns out that none of that mattered, though. When I left the company, they had been delisted and the share price was $0.09.

    Actual value of all those stock options? Zero. Zip. Nada.

    Ah, I see you took the stock options at Sun as well!

  7. Re:Equity is much more complicated by Andtalath · · Score: 2, Funny

    Actually, this would rather be the result of dealing with computer illiterates all day long.

    It has little to do with the ability to code and a lot to do with being an expert in a field where you can easily get narrowed vision.

  8. Re:Equity is much more complicated by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    This is just an observation after dealing with programmers for most of my career.

    Let me guess, your career involves entering numbers into spreadsheets and really important meetings.

    It's easier to resent someone if they have a point.

  9. Re:Minefield by Guido+von+Guido · · Score: 2, Funny

    Mod parent up - all points are correct and concise.

    Well, duh--do you think someone gets to be the Emperor of Canada by messing round?