Cash is king! BABA-SWR employees are incentivized to increase long-term cash, accelerating equity ownership.

The article is from "Big Factory Youth".

Brother Factory exclusively learned that Alibaba will upgrade its employee incentive plan. In addition to one-time year-end bonuses, the equity incentive method has added long-term cash.

There are two key adjustments: starting from April 1, 2024, newly awarded performance and promotion equity incentives will be adjusted to a combination of "equity + long-term cash". Secondly, instead of being attributed annually as in the past, it will now be attributed quarterly.

In other words: the money in hand is more certain; the speed of receiving stocks is faster.

Many BABA-SWR factory friends have confirmed this information with Brother Factory.

For those who understand the big picture, with the current stock market fluctuations, employees' income from stocks has become uncertain. Now, BABA-SWR has significantly increased the proportion of distributing cash to employees, effectively hedging the market's uncertainty.

Brother Factory has also heard that in the past, although equity incentives were attractive, they had to be attributed over four years. The general plan was: nothing in the first year, 50% in the second year, 25% in the third year, and the remaining 25% in the fourth year. This was definitely a pain point for some factory friends with urgent needs, such as buying a house or needing money for renovations. Some factory friends even found themselves in a dilemma when the stock price was high but the equity had not vested yet.

Now, with quarterly attribution, it greatly enhances the liquidity of factory friends' income. They can decide whether to sell or continue holding the stocks in hand, giving them more autonomy. It is said that the BABA-SWR factory friends are very happy about this.

Of course, some factory friends have consulted Brother Factory, asking if it is better to receive more stocks. Brother Factory believes the key is how to view it. Transitioning from holding pure stocks to stocks + cash, if the stock part rises in the future, we are happy, and the cash part is originally meant to hedge downside risks and enhance certainty. You can even use the cash to buy more company (or other company) stocks at the right time, providing multiple options.

Some factory friends mentioned that with quarterly attribution, the stocks received are "fragmented". This issue is quite luxurious. Isn't it great to have them in hand early to decide whether to hold them long-term or sell at a high price?

Brother Factory believes that this is indeed a win-win approach. On one hand, employees having a portion of company equity fosters a sense of belonging and a determination to grow with the company in the long term. Alibaba-SWR has always had an employee stock ownership plan, the benefits of which are self-evident. On the other hand, in an uncertain market environment, receiving cash certainty is a tangible sense of achievement.

To be frank, in the past year, BABA-SWR's stock price has fallen, and its core business faces intense market competition, putting significant pressure on the company. Therefore, Brother Factory believes that more importantly, in such an environment where society highly values "cash is king", having the ability and willingness to proactively provide a substantial amount of real money to increase employees' income certainty shows that BABA-SWR truly wants to benefit its employees. In uncertain times, the company is ensuring a safety net for its employees, enabling them to still receive better rewards.