RSUs vs Options at Late-Stage Startups
Why an increasing number of growth-stage companies are switching equity instruments mid-life.
LW
Liam WuContributor, The Signal
The move from options to RSUs at late-stage startups is not new, but it has accelerated. The driver is straightforward: as valuations rose, the strike price on new option grants became prohibitive, and the exercise tax bill became a retention problem in its own right. RSUs, with their different tax timing, have become the practical default for any company in a multi-year run-up to liquidity.