Getting laughter is a tell about the high bit of company culture. People’s mental model of other people largely assumes that other people are about as trustworthy as themselves.

Trustworthy people assume other people are trustworthy.

Backstabbers assume other people backstab.

Don’t misunderstand me, there’s a difficult conversation about stock. A few shares doesn’t give a person a say in how the company is run. It doesn’t make a person a principal. Doesn’t make them a “partner”.

Worker bees are still worker bees with shares. Trustworthy people offer shares because it might make you rich.

If someone laughs, they don’t think you deserve to be rich.