Originally published on AI Tech Connect.
What you need to know The headline number is the least important number. "0.5% equity" or "20,000 options" means nothing until you know the vesting schedule, the strike price, the fully diluted share count and what happens to it after the next funding round. Vesting is still mostly 4 years with a 1-year cliff. That remains the industry default, though the AI hiring market has produced more variation — shorter cliffs, front-loaded vesting, refresher grants — than past cycles. The exercise window can quietly erase your equity. Many companies still give you only 90 days after leaving to buy vested options before they expire — a real cost that catches people off guard. A growing minority offer far longer windows. Dilution is not a bug — but you should model it. Every funding round shrinks…
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