• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Egg companies made $1.22 billion in profit off a $6 carton — now they’re buying their way out of a price-fixing case with 53 million donated eggs

2

Meet the Zillennials: The luckiest micro-generation in the workforce, born between 1993 and 1998

3

Economists have found an answer to slowing cognitive decline: Avoid retiring early, study finds

1

Egg companies made $1.22 billion in profit off a $6 carton — now they’re buying their way out of a price-fixing case with 53 million donated eggs

2

Meet the Zillennials: The luckiest micro-generation in the workforce, born between 1993 and 1998

3

Economists have found an answer to slowing cognitive decline: Avoid retiring early, study finds
Tech

X, formerly Twitter, valued at $19 billion in new employee stock plan

Kylie Robison
By
Kylie Robison
Kylie Robison
Down Arrow Button Icon
Kylie Robison
By
Kylie Robison
Kylie Robison
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 30, 2023, 1:56 PM ET
Elon musk making a heart with his hands.
X has a new valuation.Al Drago—Bloomberg/Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

X, formerly Twitter, is now valued at $19 billion, based on the company’s employee equity compensation plan. The privately-held company, owned by Elon Musk, is giving employees RSUs at a share price of $45 according to two sources familiar with the matter. The company previously offered employees stock in March at a $20 billion valuation.

Staff received an email on Monday regarding the equity grant agreements, according to a screenshot viewed by Fortune.

This new valuation comes a year after Musk purchased the platform for $44 billion, and recent reporting claims that the banks involved with financing the deal are still grappling with efforts to mitigate the adverse impact on their financial standings, expecting to lose roughly $2 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported. In July, Musk posted that X is “still negative cash flow” due to a “50% drop in advertising revenue plus heavy debt load.”

Musk has laid off thousands of employees since acquiring Twitter, and the company’s headcount is now about 25% of what it was prior to Musk’s takeover. The erratic multi-billionaire, who is also the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has said he wants to turn X into an “everything app” that melds the social media platform with payment and commerce capabilities. But so far the company’s trajectory under Musk’s stewardship has been marked by chaos, with high-profile technical glitches, controversies over content moderation, and feature changes that have upset many longstanding users.

In May Musk tapped NBC executive Linda Yaccarino to be the CEO, in a bid to bring advertisers back to the platform while freeing Musk to focus on the product side of the business. While the stock compensation plan values X at less than half of what Musk paid for the company, the actual value of the now privately-held company remains somewhat subjective. Earlier this week, Axios reported that Fidelity has marked down the value of its Twitter debt by roughly 65% over the first eleven months of Musk’s ownership.

According to the note sent to X employees on Monday, the new $19 billion valuation, with a $45 per share price, was determined “by the board of directors, based on a number of factors in a manner that complies with applicable tax rules.” It’s not clear who sits on the X board of directors. The $45 per share price is not directly comparable to the $54.20 per share price that Musk paid for Twitter when it was a publicly traded company in October 2022.

Employees who are part of the new equity compensation plan will receive equity in the form of restricted stock units, which are “earned” over a four year period, according to documents viewed by Fortune. The first tranche of an employee’s RSUs vest after six months.

Below are some edited portions of a frequently asked questions document sent to staff on Monday:

  1. RSU Quantity Determination: The number of RSUs employees receive is calculated by dividing the communicated award value in USD by the Fair Market Value (FMV) and rounding up to the nearest whole share.
  2. Taxation of RSUs: The tax treatment of RSUs depends on local statutory laws. With double-trigger RSUs, employees are typically not taxed until both a time-based vesting requirement and a liquidity event requirement (for instance, an IPO or change in control) are met.
  3. Deferred Cash Awards: If you were employed by Twitter at the time of acquisition (October 27, 2022), unvested Twitter RSUs were converted into deferred cash awards at $54.20 per share. These awards will vest per the original schedule and be paid out separately from any X Stock Awards.
  4. Earning RSUs: RSUs are typically earned over four years with a 6-month cliff, meaning the first portion becomes available after six months of employment. Promotion and exceptional performance grants follow a different schedule, typically quarterly on January 1, July 1, and October 1.
  5. Vesting RSUs: Earned RSUs fully vest upon satisfaction of a liquidity event requirement, such as an IPO or change in control, within seven years of the grant. If this requirement isn’t met, the Earned RSUs may be forfeited.
  6. Termination of Employment: If you leave the company before RSUs are fully vested, unearned Stock Awards are typically canceled. Time-vested portions may remain outstanding, but earned RSUs will be eligible for full vesting based on the grant agreement. If RSUs don’t fully vest within seven years from the grant date, they may be forfeited.
  7. Income Tax Liability: The grant of a Stock Award doesn’t result in immediate income tax liability. Taxation typically occurs upon the settlement of shares when the “second trigger” (e.g., liquidity event) takes place.

Do you have insight to share? Got a tip? Contact Kylie Robison at kylie.robison@fortune.com, through secure messaging app Signal at 415-735-6829, or via Twitter DM.

About the Author
Kylie Robison
By Kylie Robison
Instagram iconLinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

How a third-generation Texas oilman transformed an organic farming company into a leading advanced nuclear startup at a small Christian college
EnergyNuclear
How a third-generation Texas oilman transformed an organic farming company into a leading advanced nuclear startup at a small Christian college
By Jordan BlumJuly 4, 2026
2 hours ago
Americans will eat 150 million hot dogs today. One specific American is predicted to eat 70 of them
North AmericaFood and drink
Americans will eat 150 million hot dogs today. One specific American is predicted to eat 70 of them
By Catherina GioinoJuly 4, 2026
2 hours ago
‘Devin-kun’: Japan embraces agents as legacy code and a shrinking workforce create a perfect market for an AI software engineer 
AsiaAI agents
‘Devin-kun’: Japan embraces agents as legacy code and a shrinking workforce create a perfect market for an AI software engineer 
By Nicholas GordonJuly 3, 2026
12 hours ago
Chad Hurley and Steven Chen wearing suits
SuccessWealth
YouTube’s founders split over $650 million when they sold to Google in 2006—had they held out, they could have taken a slice of $550 billion
By Preston ForeJuly 3, 2026
18 hours ago
ds
CommentarySoftware
I argued with the father of open source for 2 years. Now the AI fight is the same — only bigger
By David SiegelJuly 3, 2026
21 hours ago
ashok
Commentary250 Years of Innovation
The greatest startup in history: What we can learn from America’s founders at today’s AI frontier
By Ashok N. SrivastavaJuly 3, 2026
21 hours ago

Most Popular

Egg companies made $1.22 billion in profit off a $6 carton — now they’re buying their way out of a price-fixing case with 53 million donated eggs
Law
Egg companies made $1.22 billion in profit off a $6 carton — now they’re buying their way out of a price-fixing case with 53 million donated eggs
By Wyatte Grantham-Philips and The Associated PressJuly 2, 2026
2 days ago
Meet the Zillennials: The luckiest micro-generation in the workforce, born between 1993 and 1998
AI
Meet the Zillennials: The luckiest micro-generation in the workforce, born between 1993 and 1998
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 3, 2026
1 day ago
Economists have found an answer to slowing cognitive decline: Avoid retiring early, study finds
Economy
Economists have found an answer to slowing cognitive decline: Avoid retiring early, study finds
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 2, 2026
2 days ago
On Wall Street, analysts increasingly don’t believe the U.S. government’s 'misleading' job numbers
Economy
On Wall Street, analysts increasingly don’t believe the U.S. government’s 'misleading' job numbers
By Jim EdwardsJuly 3, 2026
22 hours ago
$25 billion CEO says one-hour interviews are a waste of time—he puts candidates through six hours of tests and wants them to order wine at lunch
Success
$25 billion CEO says one-hour interviews are a waste of time—he puts candidates through six hours of tests and wants them to order wine at lunch
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJuly 3, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of July 2, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 2, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 2, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.