“I want employees to earn equity.”
“Existing shareholders will be diluted.”
“Yes.”
“That includes you.”
“Yes.”
Richard studied him.
“You’re willing to reduce your own percentage?”
“If the plan passes.”
“Why?”
Daniel almost laughed.
“Because thirty-one percent of a company that forgets how to function is not an asset I particularly want.”
One director asked about cost.
Daniel answered.
Another asked about retention modeling.
Daniel had numbers.
The CFO asked whether senior employees would be incentivized to remain longer than operationally useful.
Daniel replied that the plan required performance standards like any other compensation program.
No lifetime guarantees.
No nostalgia clause.
Richard challenged the proposed review process.
“You’ll slow decisions.”
“Maybe.”
“In restructuring, speed matters.”
“So does competence.”
“Sometimes waiting makes the problem worse.”
“Then document why the emergency justifies speed.”
Richard leaned back.
“You’ve built this to distrust management.”
Daniel shook his head.
“I built it because management should be able to explain itself.”
The vote did not happen that morning.
That was another detail later stories tended to simplify.
It took two weeks.
Lawyers revised language.
Financial advisers modeled dilution.
Directors argued.
Richard opposed parts.
Supported others.