> Our series A investors wanted vesting and we said no.
It's really a noop on their part. They know full well that if a founder ever leaves the company they can recover the ownership by diluting the bejesus out of him after he's gone (and bonus: everyone else who has already left is also diluted to near-zero).
Vesting just saves them the energy they'd have to exert on the backend.
Stock and voting / vetoing rights usually go hand in hand, so it depends on company structure and how well the founders protected themselves against such events.
It's really a noop on their part. They know full well that if a founder ever leaves the company they can recover the ownership by diluting the bejesus out of him after he's gone (and bonus: everyone else who has already left is also diluted to near-zero).
Vesting just saves them the energy they'd have to exert on the backend.