The stock options are for common stock, right?
However investors that put money in get preferred shares (not common stock) right?
The tradeoff is not equal: taking less salary and receiving stock of less value seems risky to me. I can't imagine the employees discount is very good (those preferred shareholders don't want to be diluted).
Better sibling comment here with in depth opinion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43677084 : which answers my question:
when your options vest, is that you are essentially allowed to make an equity investment in the company with really unfavorable terms (ie ur not even getting preferred stock or any voting rights unlike your average investor).
> when your options vest, is that you are essentially allowed to make an equity investment
isn't the idea that you buy shares at book value, which is way less than "last round valuation"? so you're getting a discount.
I mean, hopefully that's how it works, I never put enough money when exercising my option to care...