I’ve been through 5+ weeks of interviews with a company that will IPO next year and they did a bait and switch on me with the offer: it was advertised as “Head of” and then during the offer-walk-through-meeting today they said “oh btw we changed the title to ‘Senior Manager’ for this role”. They offered me a salary I made 4 years ago as a manager. They offered stock options with an exercise price TBD 1 year from now…which is when they’re hitting IPO. Is that normal for stock options?

like
Posting as :
works at
You are currently posting as works at

Don't take it. That's shady af

like

Don’t be disappointed, be grateful you found out before you signed on. Startups and new co.s mess up so much before they establish a culture and figure out how to treat people. They don’t know what they’re doing; you can’t miss something that never existed to be had.

likehelpful

I’m trying to find some positive in this offer. So far I’m just incredibly disappointed in the offer. So I’m wondering if the value is really in the stock options…. But no one can tell me the exercise price because it’s decided 1 year from now.

like

I’m also feeling like, ok in your example let’s say the strike price is $25 for 20,000 shares but what if it turns out to be a strike price of $100? Either number, I don’t have cash in the bank to buy these shares because you’re paying me a base managers wage from 3 years ago.

like

If they’re saying you’ll get options after the IPO, that’s not part of the offer - chance they will never IPO. They also probably genuinely don’t know what to offer you in post ipo shares because they don’t know yet how many shares they will issue or the valuation.

It’s possible that they really want you to come onboard but you’re not as senior as they would like for the head, or senior enough for pre ipo equity. They should have explained that early on though, not spring it on you in the offer letter.

like

Options should have a strike price attached to them based on the latest valuation. Your profit will be TBD based on share price when you sell, but they should absolutely be able to tell you how much your options are worth

Very unusual to not include the strike price. Normally strike price is based on current company value, so you are incentivized to work hard to increase the value of the company, making options worth more.

like

It is normal for there to be *some* lag between a stock option grant and its pricing, because:

1/ Stock / option grants are approved by the Board at periodic Board of Directors meetings

2/ The Board are responsible for setting or confirming the strike prices for any issued equity at approval time

3/ That price can be subject to change due to either changing business circumstances (a proposed upcoming financing for example) and must be annually by the Board using the advice of outside valuation consultants (see: “409A”)

All of that said, it is highly unusual for a company to propose a grant that is to be priced a year out.

More typical would be “X shares and todays strike price is $Y. We don’t anticipate that going up at the next Board Meeting in [some # less than 90] days but we can’t guarantee that”

like

Not a lot to offer here but shouldn’t they include the RSU price in the offer? Seems a little fishy if they’re not giving you numbers on what you could expect.

They can't tell you what the *value* of the stock will be post-IPO, obviously. The market decides that. But if they award you stock options, the stock options include a strike price. If they are not telling you (A) How many options you get, and (B) What the strike price is for those options, then they aren't actually awarding you options, per se, as part of your comp package... they are simply "promising" to give you some stock in the future. (Which is pretty sketchy).

like

Salary and perks seems low

Many late stage companies wont go into F-D percentages for rank and file (non-execs) because they are meaningless.

Are you going to join or not join because your equity is 0.0004% versus 0.0002%?

The best practice is to provide a dollar amount of the equity _at today's valuation_, understanding that a mid- to late- stage startup will likely have increases in valuation.

like

What’s this company? Are they in fintech? At 4 weeks of interviews and this sounds eerily familiar.

Counter offer with job title and salary. Ask for a high enough salary that you won’t be hugely disappointed if the stock does not work out. Job title should be simple since you applied for “Head of” it should stay that way. Can you tell on Glassdoor what others are being paid?

No...they are reported and if there is nit enough data, Glassdoor adds jts own estimates, some of which are wildly off. I know this because we had to retain counsel after they were publishing salaries that were below state minimums. This is what they told us on the call.

like

Related Posts

How high does L6 range typically go for Sr Program Manager roles? I am currently at ~250k TC and the position they were interviewing me for hand a max range of 200k TC. Is >300k TC possible?

like

I was just informed that I am going to be extended an offer for AWS Proserve. What is the pay schedule for AWS… I thought she said that payday was once a month… I didn’t know if I heard this correctly.

like

How much should be the salary for an events manager in FL? I handle global events

like

Just got laid off today.... anyone hiring account executives? 3 years experience working across integrated campaigns in multiple industries. Hungry and eager to get back into the weeds!!

Any bi males here who have struggled with “being taken seriously” by both the hetero & LGBTQ+ community? In the process of interviewing for a new company and feeling the familiar anxiety around coming out at work creeping up.

like

Can anyone refer me for specialist role in HSBC India HSBC

Post Photo
like

Why is it so hard to find a remote HR position? I have my SHRM-SCP, my MBA and over 10 years of experience being an HR Manager.

likesmart

Have others found it hard to transition from Audit to Financial Analyst? All the recruiters I’m meeting with are telling me I probably won’t get an interview since they’re looking for someone who’s ready to hit the ground running.
It’s discouraging because I’m a fast learner, and from talking to my friends who are Financial Analysts, it doesn’t seem like what we do is so dissimilar.

likesmart

Hello fishes, Can anybody help me with a job referral at CGI Bengaluru

like

Anyone hiring in the DC area? Jr system admin roles.? 9 years of DST. Want something more challenging

like

McKinsey & Company Folks - why do recruiters ask the question - are you interviewing at other places? Or, have you just started looking? What is a good response to these questions? EY-Parthenon Deloitte Accenture EY McKinsey & Company Boston Consulting Group

like

Hi! I’m a Finance Manager whose looking to move to Austin, TX soon. What should I expect as a salary range with that same position?

like

Three job interviews with a company, last one creating a marketing plan and presenting to marketing VP. I received good feedback from him. Three days later recruiter wants to give me a call and “give an update”. Schedules it after 2 days. This morning cancels last minute as they are having “internal discussions”. I’m really annoyed and tired. Thoughts?

like

How much do senior UX designers make nyc?

like

How much inhand salary will i get and how can i save max tax on it

Post Photo

Hi everyone
I got an offer from Telstra for Microservices Software Engineer developer role.

YOE: 3.9
Techstack: Java, Spring Boot, Microservices, AWS, Docker, and Kubernetes.

could you please tell me what will be work life balance and job security at Telstra Hyderabad.

Thanks

like

I want to know more about Accenture YoY hikes.

Hello there. I have been interviewing with Okta and got through all 5 rounds of interviews. They say they want to offer me the job but there is a global freeze for all marketing roles at the company. They want to offer me a contractor role instead. Does anyone here know if that is the case? I haven't heard anything as they seem be on wellness week. Thanks for any guidance :)

like

Can anyone provide TC range/insights for an MD seat at Blackrock for the institutional family office business? Either SF or NYC?

like

How much DI is offering(average) to 10+ yoe in consulting manager designation?

like

More Posts

I have recently switched the service line from AI&DE to Cloudeng.. what will be the impact on the hike for next year based on service line change? I have 10 years of experience with 3rd year SC and my current CTC is 29L. Will they normalise my salary based on service line change?

like

Hi fellow PMs, Question for the group: has anyone here made the switch from being a creative agency PM to a digital producer or digital agency PM? I.e. going from managing creative projects like TV to managing website builds/UX projects. If so, what was the transition like and what helped you get your bearings in the new environment? I’m thinking about making the switch myself but I don’t have a digital background.

like
like

Hi All! I recently started my own Private Equity firm. Searching for any big do’s, dont’s, or hard lessons you learned along the way. Do any veteran entrepreneurs/PE partners or staff members have advice they would like to pass down? I know early on in my consulting career there are many things I wish I could go back and tell myself.

As always, thank you all! 🐟

likeupliftinghelpful

What was your “That’s it, I quit” moment

like

MTC Proposes Removing Online Sales solicitation from 86-272 protection. Thoughts?

like

Hi All, how much should I expect to pay for someone to do my taxes for me? (Ball park)
- fbar
- state
- Federal

Also I moved out from MA in February so not sure if I'd also still need to file in MA?

like

Anyone else feel like quitting their jobs to start an OF page?

likeupliftingfunny

Hi there! Any Guidehouse fish open to chatting about a role and possibly putting in a referral?

like

Any thoughts on Latham in London? Considering a move out of MC and hear they are very strong at Finance. Also any insight into base pay bracket for 2PQE?

like

Im joining Accenture Uk on 19th Aug 2021. Anybody else starting on this date? When does one usually receive the Teams invite / joining instructions for the first day orientation & induction?

like

I have been offered a job at grade 10 at NTT Data UK. The pay is good, however given my experience (19 years) and current designation of Associate Director in a large consulting, it looks like I should at least get a higher grade like 11. What are your thoughts? Will it be wise join at grade 10?

like

Anyone else here new to Melbs? Looking for suggestions on best spots for food and surf. Is Torquay worth it?

like

What do you folks think about a monthly show and tell of anything data-related?
Open forum where anything relating to data & its applications would be fair game. E.g.:

-a visualization you made and/or like
-data pipelines for a personal website
-market analysis
-relevant memes
-scientific article
-data news
-what you'd like to see data driven but isn't

In a nutshell, a conversational experience. Introduce and discuss ideas. BYOB and at least 1 talking point, or if you really want a full deck

likehelpfulupliftingsmart

I have an offer from NTT DATA and joining is in December. what is the appraisal cycle here? Also, what is the leave policy? Employee benefits?

like

What’s the culture like at Ogilvy San Francisco?

Hi Guys, I am Frontend developer (Angular, YOE - 3.5) with 2 offers to choose from . Kindly suggest which company I should join.
1. Dassault system:- 17.2 LPA (16.3 fixed)
2. British Telecom:- 20.5 LPA (18.75 fixed)

like

Hi everyone! I’m trying to get into the tech field. I have some customer service experience with a tech company. I also have a certificate for IT support. Any leads or suggestions to get a job would be appreciated.

like

I've done so well in this new role within the company that they are hiring another person to assist with what I do. I've voiced to my boss that I'd like to manage this department and they indicated that this is the thought for the future. Now they are asking me to train this person while I have my plate full. Is it wrong for me to expect either a promotion or to be paid to train this person?

like

Additional Posts in Startups and Entrepreneurship

Let's vote! Which startup type is most likely to have a dysfunctional or toxic work culture:

Helpful: Single founder bootstrapped startups
Smart: Single founder funded startups
Uplifting: Multiple founder bootstrapped startups
Funny: This poll is dumb.

Comment if you would have selected multiple founder funded startups!

funnyhelpfulupliftingsmartlike

Brand new startup, how do we think about social media?

We tried paid ads and it’s expensive so we want to acquire users through content marketing. It’s a product that helps people discover gift ideas - and it’s a web app.

What’s a good way of creating a social media strategy for it? Or is social media content marketing a good idea at all for early startups?

What are other ways to acquire early stage users?

like

Any CPAs out there that decided to buy and run a business? Curious if my theory that after advising businesses how to run efficiently and effectively, that I could fairly easily deploy this experience in an existing business. Obviously I'm not ignorant that there will be obstacles to overcome but ultimately think it would be successful. For added context, I have an MBA, have focused of business development so understand sales and dealing with customers.

Thoughts welcome!

like

I have a question about pricing. Some context to my upcoming question: My brother and I are starting a personal training business. I have six years military experience and he is still in the military. Collectively we have passed the hardest schools in the military and both love fitness and have experience building programs and are both certified personal trainers. I don’t know weather we should charge on the higher spectrum because of our experience or lower because of our business infancy.

What is a good benchmark for base, bonus and equity comp at a series C startup exit for a Senior Director/VP position? Valuation is around $250M

like
likesmart

With so many VC firms coming up have you considered pivoting into the VC space? Wondering if the pay is good as compared to consulting. For context, I am a M making $170k base in the South East.

Should I instead focus on becoming a LP? Are these investor fund VCs worth the investment?

like

What’s a profound way to start a business? The desire to make social and economic impact? Or personal wealth? What should be the main driving factor? I’m curious what your guys’ thoughts and opinions are on this. Feel free to drop a comment :)

like

What’s the cost range of health insurance for a young family of four if you are self employed?

like

Hi everyone, my sister was fired from her job because her exemption from the vaccine got rejected. She has Director of Nursing experience as well as experience with case management and utilization review. Anyone know of any startups or tech companies that are remote and wouldn’t require a vaccination that are hiring for experienced nurses? Really appreciate the help! Any leads are welcome!

like

Any tips on starting a Amazon FBA reselling business? I have 3 business partners.

like

So, I just joined a startup. No processes, no clear strategy, just one goal: selling. Getting leads. When ever I try to build a strategy, they (founders) swamp me with blablabla stories and not a single action plan. Is this the usual at startups? Also,no real company culture. At all. No HR. I am reaaaally struggling to get a sense of belonging here. What should I expect?? Tia

like

Who needs a data engineer? 10 yoe azure data Factory, power bi and many more data tools.

like

How much equity have you guys negotiated for yourself at a fintech start-up? Role would basically be head of marketing

like

Hi folks, I am working with a few friends on a fintech idea. I opted to build the marketing roadmapping strategy for the soft launch/prototype phase as I want to learn about the field. Any guidance where should I start? Any guidance, books, topics will be helpful 😊

like

Does anyone have any experience with B2B buy now pay later? While I understand number of SMEs and volume of online transactions are important drivers, keen to hear different perspectives incase I’ve missed anything vital.

like

Hi guys, a plea for help here 🙏🏻 have any founders here gotten an O-1 visa or an H1B transfer into their startup? Would greatly appreciate hearing your advice / experience over DM

like

Does anyone have any beta test email templates? I'm looking to invite some users to my app and looking for some guidance.

Thanks

like

New to Fishbowl?

Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
That was just a preview…
Sign Up to see all discussions
  • Discover what it’s like to work at companies from real professionals
  • Get candid advice from people in your field in a safe space
  • Chat and network with other professionals in your field
Sign up in seconds to unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.

Already a user?
Login here

Share

Embed this post

Copy and paste embed code on your site

Preview

Download the
Fishbowl app

See what’s happening in your industry
from the palm of your hand.

A phone with Fishbowl app

Scan your QR code to download
Fishbowl app on your mobile

Download app

Sign up for free to view this conversation on Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Already have an account? Log in

Sign up for free to continue using Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use(New) and Privacy Policy(New)
Messaging rates may apply

Already have an account? Log in

For account settings, visit Fishbowl on Desktop Browser or

General

Legal