{"id":5827,"date":"2026-08-31T17:16:42","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T14:16:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/recruitment.by\/?p=5827"},"modified":"2026-08-31T17:16:46","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T14:16:46","slug":"equity-negotiation-belarusian-engineers-startup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/recruitment.by\/eng\/news\/equity-negotiation-belarusian-engineers-startup\/","title":{"rendered":"Negotiating Equity at a Western Startup as a Belarusian Engineer: What to Ask, What’s Normal, What’s a Red Flag"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You got the offer. The base salary is fair \u2014 maybe a little under what a big public company would pay \u2014 and then there’s a line that’s harder to read: \u201c0.4% equity, vesting over 4 years.\u201d Your recruiter calls it life-changing. A friend calls it a lottery ticket. So which is it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The honest answer: it depends on details most offers don’t spell out \u2014 and on one question almost no equity guide asks. As a Belarusian engineer, can you actually turn that equity into money? This guide walks through what to ask, what’s standard, and what should make you pause, so you can weigh an offer with clear eyes instead of hope. If you’re still deciding where to apply, our guide to finding IT roles<\/a> is a good place to start; if an offer is already on the table, read on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Equity 101: what you’re actually being offered<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before you can negotiate equity, you need to know what kind you’re being offered \u2014 because the label changes everything about taxes and value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most startups grant stock options: the right to buy a set number of shares later, at a fixed price (the strike price). There are two flavors. Incentive stock options (ISOs) are tax-advantaged but available only to US employees. Non-qualified stock options (NSOs) can go to employees, contractors, and advisors anywhere \u2014 which means, as a non-US engineer and often a contractor, you’ll almost certainly be offered NSOs rather than ISOs<\/a>. Later-stage companies sometimes grant restricted stock units (RSUs) instead \u2014 actual shares that turn into value as they vest, with no strike price to pay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Type<\/strong><\/th>Who can receive them<\/strong><\/th>Strike price?<\/strong><\/th>When you’re taxed<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
ISO (Incentive Stock Options)<\/strong><\/td>US employees only<\/td>Yes<\/td>At exercise (AMT may apply); favorable if held long enough<\/td><\/tr>
NSO (Non-qualified Stock Options)<\/strong><\/td>Employees, contractors, advisors \u2014 including non-US<\/td>Yes<\/td>Ordinary income on the gain at exercise<\/td><\/tr>
RSU (Restricted Stock Units)<\/strong><\/td>Employees, usually later-stage companies<\/td>No<\/td>Ordinary income when they vest<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here’s the first thing that trips people up: a number of shares means nothing on its own. \u201c50,000 options\u201d could be 5% of the company or 0.005% \u2014 it depends entirely on the total shares outstanding, which is the number you have to ask for. A percentage of the fully diluted company is the only figure you can actually reason about. At recruitment.by<\/a>, we see engineers accept grants without ever learning the denominator \u2014 don’t be one of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The numbers that actually matter \u2014 what to ask<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Treat your equity like any other part of the deal: ask for the specifics, in writing, before you sign. A short list to send back:<\/p>\n\n\n\n