One of the biggest bets startup employees make is on the founder. That trust may not be tested until years later, when the company exits. A startup can sell for billions, and the people who helped build it can walk away with vastly different outcomes. During M&A negotiations, investors bought in at different prices and have different return expectations. The buyer has its own priorities. Employees don’t have a seat at the negotiating table, even when the deal could be a life-changing event for them. So much can come down to whether the founder has their back when they're not in the room. In the latest Greylock Originals, @chronosphereio co-founder Martin Mao (@martin_c_mao )and Greylock Partner @jerrychen share what happened behind the scenes of Palo Alto Networks' $3.35B acquisition of the company. 00:00 The decision behind the headline 01:01 Why sell a fast growing company? 02:15 What makes an offer worth accepting? 03:36 "You only get one chance to sell" 05:18 A first-time founder vs. a Fortune 500 CEO 07:11 Who speaks for the employees?

Highstock is founded by @camillevanhorne and Ashish Sinha, who were pivotal builders during Instacart's earliest days. They saw the need to revolutionize this problem in commerce and applied their deep experience building marketplaces at scale.