Common stock options exercise price
The following shows how stock options are granted and exercised: ABC, Inc., hires employee John Smith. As part of his employment package, ABC grants John options to acquire 40,000 shares of ABC’s common stock at 25 cents per share (the fair market value of a share of ABC common stock at the time of grant). However, the appearance of greater value for the Preferred Stock allowed companies to justify to the IRS the issuing of options to buy Common Stock at an exercise price equal to 1/10 th the price per share paid by the investors. The current fair market value per share price for common stock is the 409a value. Startups are required to go through a 409a valuation (409a value) where a third party firm prices the common shares. (Note: VC's typically buy preferred shares with downside protection called a liquidation preference, which are senior to common shares.)