As far as the new hires, particularly the 21-year
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It's not uncommon for people who have worked at one place long enough to have amassed significant savings and investments, to take a chance on working for a much smaller company that offers stock options as part of compensation. They may be in a position to take a chance on a small company that may make them extremely wealthy, rather than staying in a salaried position that has made them well-off.
I did not check into the backgrounds of the new hires so I have no idea how old they are.