Personally, I think negotiating for equity in terms of percentages is a mistake. The better way to do it is in terms of financial outcome.<p>You make X dollars in salary every year. You model the equity as a lump-sum bonus paid after 4 years (divide the liquid value of the options by 4, mentally applying as a deferred bonus for each vesting year).<p>To make that happen, you ask management for some outcome scenarios --- a "low", "medium", and "high" outcome, for instance --- that values the grant you're getting.<p>ie: "If we're acquired for $50MM, your options would be worth $Y". You make $X/yr, so, if the company is acquired, you'd effectively have made $X+($Y/4)/yr. Are you happy with that number? Then agree.<p>To dig into the low/med/high scenario, two helpful anchor numbers: first, the company's valuation at its last round (if the medium option 20x's valuation, that's, you know, worth knowing), and second (and I think more important) the multiple of trailing revenue that represents. In other words: in the "medium" outcome, how much revenue do your employers propose the company to have done in the preceding year, and what multiple does that imply for the valuation?<p>These are easy numbers to get your head around, implicitly capture the percentage of the company you're getting without making that the terrain you're negotiating over, and (most importantly) forces your employer to be clear about where the numbers are coming from and how the business will actually work.<p>The other way to do this is just to value equity at $0.