
Fyifv: A Microsoft Urban Legend (2001) - ingve
https://web.archive.org/web/20051228022236/http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2001/7/16/13635/2730
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blahbhthrow3748
My experience with engineers who made too much money in an IPO (not at MSFT)
was the opposite - they mostly wanted to sit in the corner and play with
whatever cool toys and have no clear job description. They didn't need to
threaten leaving because they were furniture.

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Zanni
I was at Microsoft from 1985-1991, and this agrees with my experience. FYIFV
was mostly something people said that other people _could_ say. I never heard
anyone express the sentiment directly and certainly never saw it on a button,
pin or shirt.

However, it was possible to be "fully vested" in a practical sense. If you
didn't review well, your initial option grants would dwarf your continuing
grants. Even more so if you were an acqui-hire.

A more common expression, in my circle at least, was "I would shovel shit for
what they're paying me now," in reference to the fact that the closer you get
to your next six-month option vesting date, the more you're getting "paid" for
each day of work. A reminder to balance your frustrations against the fact
that you'll be collecting $50K, $100K, $200K a day to just shut up and keep
your head down for a few more days.

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berbec
God, I miss kuro5hin

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davidgerard
I substantially based the Wikipedia article on this.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FYIFV](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FYIFV)

