Employee Stock Option Plans (ESOPs), where workers are allotted a certain stake in their companies by employers, could see a spike in popularity in Southeast Asia, driven by the upcoming mega listings of regional unicorns, as well as the competition for tech talent.
“Startups are increasingly becoming more generous in doling out equity shares, especially among the technical leadership team, because they know that it’s difficult to get a good head of engineering or a CTO [chief technology officer],” said Elena Chow, founder of talent solutions company ConnectOne.
