Restricted Stock Units / RSU

Restricted stock units are equity-compensation grants that the source contrasts with Employee Stock Options / 员工期权. In 期权这张饼，为什么越来越难吃了？, RSUs are described as closer to receiving stock or a stock-linked unit than receiving a right to buy later at an exercise price.

The source still treats RSUs as risky when the company is private or the grant is locked. Vesting, sale restrictions, tax treatment, price movement, and company governance can still determine whether the grant becomes usable cash.

Key Claims

• RSUs do not center on an exercise-price choice in the same way employee options do.
• They can feel more concrete than options because the company is granting stock-linked value rather than only a right to buy.
• Restrictions matter: vesting, lockup, sale windows, and private-company liquidity can still block realization.
• Tax timing can create cash-flow pressure if tax is due before the employee can sell the shares or units.
• The practical comparison is not RSU good, option bad; it is whether each grant’s legal, tax, and liquidity conditions fit the employee’s risk capacity.

Connections

• Employee Stock Options / 员工期权 - contrasted instrument.
• Employee Stock Option Liquidity Risk / 员工期权流动性风险 - risk that also applies to restricted grants when sale is blocked.
• Paper Wealth Vs Cash Value - headline value may still differ from spendable money.
• Equity Compensation Upside - broader employee-ownership upside branch.
• Employee Equity Communication - offer and plan terms must be explained clearly.