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Re:Ask HN: Are RSUs worth your loyalty? by tanderson92 on Wednesday January 08, 2020 @01:05PM (#21994010)
You still lost that money though, the optionality isn't worth anything because you gain nothing on the RSUs by switching jobs.
Re:Ask HN: Are RSUs worth your loyalty? by ThrustVectoring on Wednesday January 08, 2020 @08:27PM (#21997629)
That's not exactly what I'm saying, it's easier to discuss with an arbitrary example: suppose you get a job offer for $100k in cash and 1000 RSUs at a current stock price of $100. I'm saying that you should value this at slightly more than $200k/yr.

Suppose after some time you start looking for jobs again, get another offer worth $215k/yr, and the stock price has done some movement. If the price is above $115/share, this would be a pay cut, so you decline the offer and state what it would take to get you on board. If it's below $115/share, you accept the job offer and get a pay raise.

This is what I mean by "optionality" here. If your employer's stock does well, you get an automatic raise from staying put. If your employer's stock does poorly, you get a raise with effort from finding alternate employment. You are more exposed to upside than downside in your employer's stock - it's effectively a call option with a strike price equal to the difference between your current cash compensation and your best alternative to negotiated agreement.

Re:Ask HN: Are RSUs worth your loyalty? by tanderson92 on Thursday January 09, 2020 @12:10AM (#21998735)
Got it, thanks.
Re:Ask HN: Are RSUs worth your loyalty? by liuyipei on Wednesday January 08, 2020 @04:28PM (#21995990)
I think what OP was trying to say was that fluctuations in RSU-valuation increases the extrinsic value of your option to switch jobs.
Re:Ask HN: Are RSUs worth your loyalty? by ThrustVectoring on Wednesday January 08, 2020 @08:29PM (#21997637)
Correct. I wouldn't use the term "extrinsic value", though, because it only explains what I'm thinking to people already exposed to real option analysis.
Re:Ask HN: Are RSUs worth your loyalty? by klipt on Wednesday January 08, 2020 @01:09PM (#21994063)
Depends how good you are at interviewing. You might get offered even more RSUs elsewhere.