How a Consumer Hired a Lawyer to Review a Stock Option Agreement in California

Generally when you leave a job you forfeit all rights to unvested stock options since those "vest" or "become yours" based on time worked at the company. If you have any stock options that have vested based on your work at the Company, those may or may not be forfeited depending upon what your Stock Option Agreement says. Please review that carefully or hire a lawyer to assist you to advise on next steps.

These are KEY TERMS of such an agreement that dictate how and when you can access and use the stock options granted to you. Here's a detailed explanation of each: VESTING SCHDULE - The vesting schedule defines when you earn the right to exercise your stock options. You don't typically receive the full option rights immediately; instead, they vest (become exercisable) over a period of time or upon achieving specific milestones. This structure incentivizes employees or stakeholders to remain with the company or contribute to its growth. Options often vest over 3-4 years with a one year cliff (meaning you must staying employed at least 12 months to earn anything and after they vest monthly or quarterly). EXERCISE PERIOD - The exercise period (also sometimes called the "option exercise window") is the time frame during which you can actually purchase (or "exercise") the shares after they have vested. If you don't exercise within this window, the options may expire. Typically, you have up to 10 years from the grant date to exercise vested options, as long as you're still employed. If you leave the company, you usually have a shorter window (e.g., 90 days) to exercise vested options. - Options that are not exercised before the expiration date become void.