It is kind of semantical, when the RSUs vest they have to be counted as ordinary income on your taxes.<p>But with a private company like AirBnB, he can&#x27;t just sell those shares on the stock market, and MAYBE he could sell them for cash on a private site like EquityZen.<p>He is set up to make a big profit! It is a nice compensation package and is also great bargaining power for his next move!<p>But at the same time, it is not cash and what he actually makes is pretty average.