9/25    If you have stock options at a company (i.e., the ability to purchase
        x shares at x price), do you lose them when you quit the company?  Or
        do you still have the option to purchase whenever you want to?  How
        long *are* they valid?    --tabloyd
        \_ ONE SHARE! ONE SHARE!
        /_ haahahhaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahaahh!
        \_I'm asking because my company wants me to sign something saying that
          "none of my ...stock options will have vested...therefore I will lose
          all rights to stock options."  But I've been here a year and a half,
          so I'd think any stock options (which they said we have but never
          gave us any info about) would have at least *partially* vested...  --t
          \_ youd think that.  Unfortunately you are assuming you work for
        nice fair people, and not predatory capatalists :-) :-(   They
               don't give a fuck about you, and they just dangle "stock options"
               in front of your face so that
        1) you will think you are some kind of player and not a corporate
           stooge (gee -- i have stock options, just like the corporate
           big shots I hear about on TV!) :)
        2) you will work very very very very hard for them.

        I don't mean you in particular of course -- it happens all the time.
        There was probably some fine print in something you signed along
        time ago which describes what rights (if any) you have... I wouldn't
        sign anything tho; that implies you have the upper hand :) :)
        \_ It's fairly standard practice to not let you vest until after
           some period of time.  After 5 years, all of my options will be
           vested, but after 1 year, one fifth of them will be vested;
           every month thereafter, I get so much more vested.  I
           have to wait a minimum of a year to get any of them vested.
           Once they are vested, I can exercise what I have vested (ie, buy).
           The buying price is typically some nice value below market price,
           so that you can make a happy profit minux nasty, complicated taxes.
           So, as far as I know, vested options are not valid outside of
           the company, but once you exercised them you will have real
           stock.  -cliffwd