Yes, it's an offer. I don't see why everyone is so up-in-arms over an offer. People can reject offers just like they can make them. Other similar offers include employment offers. I'm going to comment more generally on this issue between founder and employee deals:
Here's what I think. HN is mostly of the employee class and so there's a politicized negative sentiment about companies not leaning the way of the employees.
Or maybe people think these offers and deals are bad for both the company founders and the employees. So here is my proposition if you believe that. Start your own company and enact whichever agreements you think are best. Do what Palantir does, or what YC advises, or whatever you make up. Give a 20 year exercise period if you want. Your call.
But you have to actually found a company.
I find it hard to believe in a moral "good and bad" on this issue. We're just talking about deals and contracts between people. And if people act with agency with regards to accepting and declining offers, and inventive individuals can come up with new systems and agreements that work better for everyone, then it will be fine. A moral bad would be something like Google and Apple and Facebook colluding behind closed doors to keep engineer pay below a certain threshold.
For the employees who will have to negotiate: you can't get a deal that's good for you if you aren't prepared to walk.
Yes, it's an offer. I don't see why everyone is so up-in-arms over an offer. People can reject offers just like they can make them. Other similar offers include employment offers. I'm going to comment more generally on this issue between founder and employee deals:
Here's what I think. HN is mostly of the employee class and so there's a politicized negative sentiment about companies not leaning the way of the employees.
Or maybe people think these offers and deals are bad for both the company founders and the employees. So here is my proposition if you believe that. Start your own company and enact whichever agreements you think are best. Do what Palantir does, or what YC advises, or whatever you make up. Give a 20 year exercise period if you want. Your call.
But you have to actually found a company.
I find it hard to believe in a moral "good and bad" on this issue. We're just talking about deals and contracts between people. And if people act with agency with regards to accepting and declining offers, and inventive individuals can come up with new systems and agreements that work better for everyone, then it will be fine. A moral bad would be something like Google and Apple and Facebook colluding behind closed doors to keep engineer pay below a certain threshold.
For the employees who will have to negotiate: you can't get a deal that's good for you if you aren't prepared to walk.