I thought about it, and I decided not to. TBH, I like vesting stocks and the stock growth helps me work alot less than I need to ( get to quit, take a year off and live off selling the stock, then go back to work).
With contracting I would have to save and every hour I don't work is an hour I'm not getting money its a bit stressful to think about.
I find things like 1:1's infantile / patronising / condescending, I'm sure some employees are convinced about their benefit, however I'm unable to come to that conclusion myself when thinking about it.
For me contracting is a more honest exchange of my time and expertise, for money.