Split how many ways? (and maybe there is equity split beyond the top 3?) I personally would be quite happy with $5-10mm, but to net that, I presume he'd have to sell the company in the $40mm+ range. Nice that they did it this year before cap gains go up, though.
HN always seems so fixated on the big payout. tptacek, the other founders, and employees have also just taken their baby to the next level in so many ways. Getting acquired doesn't have to be the end-game.
There's a not-always-unjustified perception in the SV startup scene that it is the end-game, at least of a particular run, because so many startups' products are shuttered by the acquirer. So it better be a big enough payout that you're satisfied with that cashout.
But it looks like this is a quite different kind of acquisition, where they'll basically be doing the same job as before, just under a new umbrella, so it's not really cashing out and shutting down the old business at all.
