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α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count
Firms often give away free goods with the product they sell. Firms often give stock options to their managers and employees. Mixing these two practices--giving stocks to consumers who buy the firm's product--creates a deadly brew. People can be lured into buying this product, giving the entrepreneur huge profits and the consumers a growing profit share. But this is a camouflaged Ponzi that will ultimately crash. It is argued, by analogy, that the common practice of giving stock options to employees can be a factor behind financial crashes. Understanding this can help create a better regulatory structure.