FYI, you replied from the wrong user account. I recommend deleting the comment.
Options not vested seems to me to be a red flag. That's a sign that you want another job, there are just too many ways that can go wrong. Such as, "Shortly before payout, the CEO fires everyone he doesn't like." And given that you weren't given the second round at the first opportunity, do you think you'll be on that list? Or, alternately, "We can't make the sale unless we reduce options, we're firing anyone who doesn't voluntarily give up half their options."
Let me give a real story. I know someone who worked for a small company that was bought by AOL. Part of the purchase was a large options grant with a 1 year cliff. They worked hard for that year. 1 week before the cliff, AOL fired everyone, including the former CEO.
Turns out that AOL had planned the episode from the beginning as a way to spend less but let the company think that they were getting paid more. Any time you get something that is entirely dependent upon another's good will, it is only worth as much as that other's good will when the time comes to pay out. Is that a position you want to be in?
Options not vested seems to me to be a red flag. That's a sign that you want another job, there are just too many ways that can go wrong. Such as, "Shortly before payout, the CEO fires everyone he doesn't like." And given that you weren't given the second round at the first opportunity, do you think you'll be on that list? Or, alternately, "We can't make the sale unless we reduce options, we're firing anyone who doesn't voluntarily give up half their options."
Let me give a real story. I know someone who worked for a small company that was bought by AOL. Part of the purchase was a large options grant with a 1 year cliff. They worked hard for that year. 1 week before the cliff, AOL fired everyone, including the former CEO.
Turns out that AOL had planned the episode from the beginning as a way to spend less but let the company think that they were getting paid more. Any time you get something that is entirely dependent upon another's good will, it is only worth as much as that other's good will when the time comes to pay out. Is that a position you want to be in?