Uber Equity FAQ

Uber RSUs typically vest over 4 years with monthly vesting and no cliff. Common vesting schedules include 25-25-25-25 (equal quarterly amounts), 35-30-25-10 (front-loaded), or 55-15-10-20 (heavily front-loaded). The specific schedule depends on your offer and role level.

Uber's ESPP offers a 15% discount on stock purchases and includes a 12-month lookback provision, meaning you purchase at 85% of the lower price between the start and end of the offering period. You can contribute up to 15% of your base salary to the plan.

Stock options at Uber expire 10 years from the grant date. However, the specific post-termination exercise window (how long you have to exercise after leaving the company) is not publicly specified and will be detailed in your option agreement. Review your grant documents carefully before leaving to understand your deadline.

Yes, Uber provides stock refreshers as part of ongoing compensation, though specific targets and frequency are not publicly disclosed. Refresher grants help retain employees and supplement your initial equity grant as it vests over time.

When your RSUs vest, they're taxed as ordinary income at their fair market value on the vesting date. Uber withholds 22% by default for federal taxes, though you can adjust this rate. You may owe additional taxes depending on your total income and tax bracket, and you'll also owe capital gains tax on any appreciation if you sell shares later.

For a qualifying disposition under Uber's ESPP, you must hold shares for over 2 years after the offering date (and 1 year after purchase). If you meet these requirements, you'll receive favorable tax treatment on the discount. Selling earlier results in a disqualifying disposition, where the discount is taxed as ordinary income.

You keep any RSUs that have already vested by your departure date, but you forfeit all unvested RSUs. Vested RSUs remain yours as shares of Uber stock, which you can hold or sell according to your financial goals. Make sure to understand your vesting schedule before making employment decisions.

Blackout periods at Uber typically start a couple weeks before quarterly earnings calls and end a couple days after. However, these restrictions generally only apply to employees above a certain level or those with access to sensitive information. If you're subject to blackouts, you can set up a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan to sell during blackout periods.