I have to say that I agree with this, options are supposed to be an incentive for an employee to work towards building the company which in turn increases share price, which should in turn make the options in the money. It's supposed to be a carrot, not a gift. Any management team that puts itself in front of the shareholders are looking out for themselves. $0.01 seems very self-serving and not an incentive at all. Also, most companies vest you in their options over a period of time to reduce turnover, immediate gratification is short term and puts management first, not the shareholders. I have to say this speaks a lot about their motives over the next year, and their feelings on near term stock price.