One is to lower the bar on the performance hurdles that executives must clear to get bonuses or stock grants.

In short, if the buyout went through, anyone with outstanding stock grants would have all of them vest immediately.

Interpretation 1 does not specifically address stock grants related to privatization transactions.

But four years ago he received a $600 million stock grant.

Salaries, restricted stock grants and other goodies would be additional.

You could just as easily argue that he did get a benefit, since they were replaced with the restricted stock grant.

Common stock grants are similar in function but the mechanism is different.

The shareholders, he said, had rejected the arguments against the stock grants, "and we expect the court to do likewise."

Still, his stock grant easily put him at the top of the 2003 survey.

To encourage a sense of ownership, all Google employees receive stock grants or options.