It was a silly comment imo. Rather than paying so

It was a silly comment imo. Rather than paying some of the new hires with needed research and development money, he gives them options as part of their compensation. They are willing to take less money upfront because they believe in the science and will actually make more when the company is successful. The guy really didn't want to say anything about the company is what I get and it was just a glance and off the cuff comment.