>if you lose money, thats not salary, it's not important. <
Ask Dr. Cox if, next year, he would rather take a 50% cut in the number of options he receives, or a 50% cut in his take home salary?
Please note i'm speaking options only.
It may not satisfy economists, but imputing a value to stock options for fledgling biotechs is, in most instances, nothing more than a mathematical exercise. Cox's answer to my question above would tell you how much pain he feels from a decline in the theoretical value / chance of exercise of his options.