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Ask HN: How common is it to withhold info about dilution?

nocaptable Saturday, January 10, 2026

I've been with a startup through two funding rounds, and growth has been very healthy.

I recently asked leadership how much I've been diluted, just for financial planning purposes. I assume I've been diluted "a normal amount" and am fine with that-- I just need to know the number. Instead I got a non-answer from leadership, which surprised me. So I'm curious:

- How common is this practice in mid-stage startups? - What is the actual rationale for withholding this information? I get why companies may want to keep the cap table confidential, but an employee's dilution factor seems like the kind of thing that doesn't matter for cap table confidentiality, but matters a lot to the employee.

Thanks in advance for any color or perspective on this.

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