All of today’s largest, blue-chip companies
began as the small start-ups of yesterday. Some
created entirely new industries, like Google and
Netflix, or drastically altered them, like Tesla
and Rivian. Most, if not all, grew to become the
names we recognize today through equity-based
compensation, enriching their founders,
executives, and early employees alike (along
with investors). A key part of equity
compensation, particularly for earlier stage
companies, is incentive stock options (ISOs).