My additional question & answer is:

If they were negative towards their future outlook then they would not agree to pay reductions. I see it more as transfer of pay into shares which they expect will be worth more then present dollars.

Just as important is the time line; they have five years to see profit on their option. That means they are fairly sure that within five years some profound event will occur for them to be sure of a good profit.

Many of us have waited up to ten years so at most five more appears plausible.

Patience and more patience. With every year I have more grey hair and less of total,lol.