How exactly does an ESOP buyback work?

I work in a fintech company. Revenue and growth wise we are good, we just got acquired by a large internet platform too. Also, last year has been a tremendous learning for me as well. I like being PM but looking to move out of my current industry (lending) as I want to explore other domains and I feel like my CTC here is somewhat low (18.5 + 1.5 bonus) considering my experience (around 4.5 years). My boss said that I will get ESOPS (around 10 lacs) which I can liquidate around 50% this year. Should I wait for my appraisal to complete (will happen around April) and look to switch or should I start preparing for interviews now itself?

At an early stage startup that is VC funded. Had posted a question on understanding esops which provided great clarity. Now curious as to how much people actually have ended up making from ESOP buybacks. Would be great if you can share- initial exercise price, quantum of esops and final price at which you sold. I currently have 25L in esops for a 2M$ funded company at a strike price of 10.

I am getting offered a 10L Esops for example, does that simply mean i need to pay some amount to get shares worth 10L of company at Actual Market Price? I have got only RSUs until now so now idea how world of esops work and are they actual money? Like If i’m at 40 CTC fixed and getting offer 48 fixed + 8L esops, am i getting 20% increment or 40% increment?

Ever heard about people getting payout for their vested ESOPs when they exit the firm? Does this really happen?

Hi, I have an ESOPs related question. Appreciate any inputs. Consider a Series B startup providing an employee with 5000 shares. After 2 years, 2000 shares are vested and exercised by the employee. The stocks were never liquidated because the company didn't conduct buyback nor went IPO. Now, assume the company lays off that employee after 2 years, - Can he still hold the vested and exercised 2000 shares? - If yes, then can he sell those stocks during future buyback even if he isn't an employee? - Will the company provide accelerated vesting for the remaining 3000 shares during layoff? (not mentioned on offer letter)

Truths about ESOP 101 After working in multiple fast growth startup’s and having been part of multiple buybacks as well as being in the startup ecosystem for a decade I want to put to bear my pov about creating wealth through ESOP. Like any other randomised event, ESOP also follows Pareto principle which means a very small number of people within the company ever make sizable wealth that they elevate to the top 0.1% of the country. The Pareto also applies with companies; significantly small minority of companies in India have employee friendly policies which enables an employee to create wealth. Most startup’s have dark patterns within their esop policy which either locks you in for insufferable durations or forces you to pay exorbitant taxes to gain the right to exercise your esops when you are leaving the company. Survivorship bias plays a huge role in enabling the narrative that esop is a great wealth generating tool leading to rude awakening for an employee after they join a company. This doesn’t mean you can’t make wealth, it just means don’t get carried away by narratives and take preventable errors in your career. Always talk to multiple people in startup’s and ask relevant questions to understand esop policies better. Like everything else optimising only for esop for wealth creation will mostly not result in it.

I'm currently a front end dev in an early stage startup, been more than 1.5 years here, joined as a UI dev took up frontend. I've just got ESOPs and wanted to know what do people think. Not thinking of switching right now cuz recession, but does ESOP turn to money often. It'll get vested until 2027 btw.

Hi, Say a Series B (US) funded startup gives me 3000 shares which are worth $5/share. It follows the usual vesting period of 4 years. Now assume 4 years have passed and all the 3000 shares are vested but the company hasn't gone IPO. Here are my quesions - When exercising US stocks in India, what is the % of withholding tax I should pay? - Say if I exercised all the shares and if I decide to leave the company do I get to keep those exercised shares with me forever? I prefer answers from people who have exercised ESOPs before. I don't want answers like "It depends, Talk to your HR or CA". Appreciate any inputs.

Say you have ESOPs in a company. Once the company goes public, is there a holding period applicable for the esop before which it can not be sold? Like 1 month/3 months/6 months holding periods? Can someone also explain how the conversion of ESOPs to RSUs happens after IPO? And mainly, tax implications and how to save tax?