If You're Working For Stock, Read the Fine Print

cratermoon writes with a story of interest to anyone interested in working at a start-up, or compensated even partly in company stock: "Former Skype guy Yee Lee finds out that for people working at companies controlled by private equity firm Silver Lake, 'vested' doesn't mean what you think it means, and gets no money from the stock options he thought he could exercise. 'Skype spokesman Brian O'Shaughnessy said, "You've got to be in it to win it. The company chose to include that clause in the contract in order to retain the best and the brightest people to build great products. This individual chose to leave, therefore he doesn't get that benefit."' Fortune also has the story." Some of the commentary on the confusing language surrounding the stock grant says the company was doing nothing out of the ordinary, but it seems that's because opaque language is the norm.

Comments

The profit is the profit

[alphatel]

You are the employee and you cost money. The profit is already money and therefor that is what is protected. If you want to assure you will be protected, read what you sign. Everyone wants to keep their slice of the pie. Every slice costs money. And even worse, lawyers will be making a piece from each part of the action.

...opaque language is the norm.

[John Hasler]

It wouldn't be if you people would quit signing things you don't understand.

Re:...opaque language is the norm.

[v1]

The 11-page stock option agreement he signed looked to him like boiler plate and suggested a typical "one-year cliff" at which point 25 percent of his four-year option grant would vest. The only mention that the company had the right to buy if he left in less than five years came in a single sentence toward the end of the document that referred him to yet another document, which he never bothered to read.

It's easy to tell someone "be sure to completely read what you sign", until the day someone sets a 45 page or otherwise excessive amount of fine print in front of you, summarizes it, and asks you to sign it. Try buying a house. If you're really going to read the entire stack of morgage papers, you're going to need a few days. And there's no chance in hell you're going to catch anything shady like the above unless you have a lawyer there the entire time, and you can bet that's going to be an expensive few days.

This one pulled a double-shaft on him... the offending bit of legalese wasn't even in the document he signed. It was something like a "this agreement also includes stipulations covered in a different document". He couldn't possibly have caught that even with a lawyer reading over his shoulder, without taking a break and doing research and chasing down the additional paperwork (that he wasn't even provided with at the time of signing) that it was binding him to. That's about as far into "dirty pool" as fine print can get.

Re:...opaque language is the norm.

[betterunixthanunix]

If you're really going to read the entire stack of morgage papers, you're going to need a few days

Heaven forbid someone take a few days to read and understand the terms of such a large loan and purchase. It's not like people spend a large fraction of their lives repaying a mortgage. It's not like people might have to deal with the mortgage rate changing on them a few years down the line.

And there's no chance in hell you're going to catch anything shady like the above unless you have a lawyer there the entire time, and you can bet that's going to be an expensive few days.

We're not talking about buying a laptop, we are talking about buying a house. Yes, I would want to have a lawyer look over the contract before I agree to repay hundreds of thousands of dollars to the bank.

the offending bit of legalese wasn't even in the document he signed

So he should have either asked for the document that the contract referenced.

He couldn't possibly have caught that

Yes he could have, if he had actually read what he was signing. He did not read it, he just assumed that he could work at Skype for a year or so and then jump ship, like he had done nine times beforehand. Why are we feeling sorry for this guy?

Re:...opaque language is the norm.

[Culture20]

If you're hiring someone, and he says "let me call my lawyer", don't you get a knot in your stomach, like maybe this guy likes to sue a lot? Who calls their lawyer over an ordinary job contract (I've actually never signed a job contract; I've just been given confirmation of what I'll receive in return for my work)? Maybe he's planning on suing this company once he's hired? Maybe he's planning on suing this company for not hiring him? Maybe he's planning to slip and fall in the meeting room?

I honestly thought this was common knowledge

[tgd]

I'd say at least half the companies I've received options from had clauses just like this. It may not be par for the course with private venture-funded companies, but it sure is close.

You should always assume that options or common shares of private companies are going to be worthless to you. Never include them in your compensation evaluation. Even if you are in a company that lets you keep options without buyback if you leave, you still have common stock and they can play games and absorb the equity event's value entirely or almost entirely in the preferred shares. Or they can recapitalize the company prior to acquisition, re-issue stock to existing employees and investors and cut the rest out.

Making money off an equity event in a private company is like winning the lottery. Pretty nice if it happens, but you're not being rational about it if you think you're going to win just because you played.

Re:Working for stock options

[Hazel Bergeron]

Why am I supposed to feel sorry for someone who failed to read and understand the terms of the contract that he signed?

Empathy block - check.

Assumption that all humans are perfect rational entities - check.

Supremacy of the business contract - check.

Internet Libertarian Warrior mode engaged!

Re:Private options can be diluted on a whim

[HungryHobo]

I think there's some old quote along the lines of the guy who owns 20% of the company owns exacty as much as the guy who owns 80% wants him to.

Options without an utterly ironclad shareholders agreement are worth exactly zero.
Even with one they're barely worth more.