Employee stock options are granted at market price by listed companies and provide upside if the share price increases, while being simple to calculate gains which are taxed at exercise. RSUs can be granted by both listed and unlisted companies at a discounted price, providing upside even without share price growth and allowing simple gain calculation taxed at exercise or in advance. SAR/Phantom stocks used by startups are often based on inflated valuations ignoring challenges, with valuation method key to value creation if liquidation events occur, but employer-friendly clauses usually result in option forfeiture.