Don't forget that Apple presumably got paid $1M dollars out of the deal in addition to the tour. I'm having a hard time seeing the argument that the right to pay Apple for some of their shares in 1979 was perceived as being worth any of Xerox PARC's IP, much less "as much as you can carry in your head".
(None of which is to say that Apple was wrong to copy what they could, morally or legally. I just find the argument that these shares are evidence that it was an above-board trade that Xerox was on board with to be very weird.)
just ask your average sv startup employee if they think options and RSUs are the same
One has a face value of $1,000,000.00
The other has a face value of $0.00
If Apple offered me one of these right now it would completely change my life, and the other would be something I wouldn't even take them up on.
Xerox wasn't stupid—they were trying to get some value out of this research lab that was, on paper, lighting money on fire.
