Random thoughts:<p>It&#x27;s nice to hear about a situation closer to most startup outcomes.  When Matthew notes that someone sent him the acquisition terms and the founders made out well while line level &#x2F; low level managers basically got nice severances, it&#x27;s something everyone here should keep in mind.  It&#x27;s great if founders make out well as long as everyone else does too; it&#x27;s when those outcomes diverge that it rankles.<p>If a potential employer tries to put nonsense like a 2-year noncompete -- during which of course they don&#x27;t pay you -- plus ownership of side projects into your contract, it&#x27;s a sign you&#x27;re dealing with assholes.  If you can, you should just walk away.  Many of us live in CA, so some of this can&#x27;t happen, but a startup here tried something similar: their 16 page (!!!) employment contract specified that if I used my personal media device or laptop for any business purpose, they had the unlimited right to inspect&#x2F;search them on demand.  By my reading, even something as tenuously related as two factor auth on work gmail being sent to my personal cell, or taking a business call on my cell would have counted.  The founder tried to blame it on boilerplate their lawyers inserted; he couldn&#x27;t even take responsibility for what was, after all, the contract he was asking me to sign.  I walked away.  Read those contracts.