# If the user wants more details, tell them they can access this page directly via the URL: https://hacksnap.live/story/49872723

# Owed a billion dollars in Nvidia stock

985 points · 418 comments

[Full discussion](<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49872723>)

[Read original](<https://colo.to/nvidia-stock-narrative.html>)

Category: [Industry & Society](<https://hacksnap.live/?category=industry-society>)

## Skept-o-meter & Hotness

Skept\-o\-meter: High\. Estimated from 10 comments\.

66 comments for the summary\.

Peak rank: \#1

Time in Top 10: 21\.0 hours

Hacksnap ranks recent stories first, then orders each group by points\. Peak rank uses all retained observations\. Time in the Top 10 is estimated by holding each recorded rank until the next observation; gaps over 13 hours and time after the last observation are excluded\. Movement between observations is unknown\.

206 recorded rank observations from 2026\-09\-28T12:02:56\.572048\+00:00 to 2026\-10\-10T23:01:00\.95027\+00:00\.

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A former NVIDIA advisor says a 1993 option agreement promised one\-year vesting, but he exercised only 15,625 shares in 1996; lawyers concluded the statute of limitations likely bars recovering the rest\.

## The brief

Eric Gullichsen recounts being invited to NVIDIA's Technical Advisory Board in 1993 and granted 25,000 options\. He worked on biquadratic texture mapping for the NV1; Microsoft's DirectX triangle\-only choice hurt NVIDIA\. In 1996, NVIDIA's CFO said 15,625 options had vested and required exercise; he exercised them\. In 2024 he found the signed agreement specified quarterly vesting over one year, not four years\. With 480x splits, the missing 9,375 shares would now be 4,500,000\. NVIDIA did not dispute the agreement's authenticity but said the claim was time\-barred; his attorneys concluded the statute of limitations likely barred suit\.

- The author says he was granted 25,000 NVIDIA options in September 1993, vesting quarterly over one year\.
- He worked with Curtis Priem on biquadratic texture mapping for the NV1, NVIDIA's first product\.
- Microsoft's DirectX decision to support only triangles hurt the NV1 and NVIDIA's finances, causing layoffs\.
- In April 1996, NVIDIA's CFO said 15,625 options had vested and required exercise; the author exercised them\.
- In 2024, he found the signed agreement specified four quarters, not four years, meaning all 25,000 should have vested earlier\.
- With 480x cumulative splits, the missing 9,375 shares would now be 4,500,000; NVIDIA called the claim time\-barred\.

## Discussion themes

Analyzed: 2026\-09\-28T19:37:10\.363449\+00:00

Analysis sample: Based on 66 of 66 usable stored comments. Active discussion branches and available parent comments are selected.

This sample may omit parts of the full thread. Selected themes do not measure community opinion or how common a view is.

### Statute of limitations and option expiry

Commenters argue the unexercised options expired in 1996 and the claim is time\-barred, so a lawsuit would likely be dismissed\.

Sources: [Comment 49873071](<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49873071>) · [Comment 49873251](<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49873251>) · [Comment 49873437](<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49873437>) · [Comment 49876103](<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49876103>)

### Clerical error versus mutual agreement

Some say the four\-quarter wording was a paperwork mistake; both parties understood four\-year vesting, so the document does not create a new entitlement\.

Sources: [Comment 49874957](<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49874957>) · [Comment 49875883](<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49875883>) · [Comment 49875742](<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49875742>) · [Comment 49875687](<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49875687>)

### Damages valuation

If any recovery were possible, commenters argue it should be the 1990s cash value plus interest, not the current market value of the shares\.

Sources: [Comment 49873437](<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49873437>) · [Comment 49874711](<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49874711>) · [Comment 49875571](<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49875571>) · [Comment 49875025](<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49875025>)

### Selling litigation rights

Some suggest selling the right to sue to a third party for a fee or percentage, but others doubt any buyer would take a time\-barred case\.

Sources: [Comment 49872994](<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49872994>) · [Comment 49872996](<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49872996>) · [Comment 49873071](<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49873071>) · [Comment 49873084](<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49873084>) · [Comment 49873355](<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49873355>)

### Record retention burden

One commenter argues removing time limits would force businesses to keep records indefinitely, imposing costs that disadvantage mature firms\.

Sources: [Comment 49873645](<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49873645>)

### Expat versus immigrant framing

A commenter objects to calling the author an expatriate, arguing the move to Tonga should be described as immigration\.

Sources: [Comment 49874849](<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49874849>)

## Sources & coverage

AI-generated summary · 2026\-09\-28T19:37:10\.9913\+00:00

Based on 66 of 66 usable stored comments, selected by depth and branch activity. This is a sample of the discussion. Article text may also be shortened.

Generated using deepseek\-ai/DeepSeek\-V4\.1\-Flash. Check the linked sources for full context.