zlacker

>>fnbr+(OP)
Not a lawyer but those contracts aren't legal. You need something called "consideration" ie something new of value to be legal. They can't just take away something of value that was already agreed upon.

However they could add this to new employee contracts.

>>aspero+Ps
“You get shares in our company in exchange for employment and eternal never-talking-bad-about-us”?

Doesn’t mean that that’s legal, of course, but I’d doubt that the legality would hinge on a lack of consideration.

>>lxgr+gE
You can't add a contingency to a payment retroactively. It sounds like these are exit agreements, not employment agreements.

If it was "we'll give you shares/cash if you don't say anything bad about us", that's normal, kind of standard fare for exit agreements, it's why severance packages exist.

But if it is "we'll take away the shares that you already earned as part of your regular employment compensation unless you agree to not say anything bad about us", that's extortion.