I have read some stories about the Cisco and Microsoft playbook during their high growth heyday.

They would approach a small company with desirable tech and fast growing customer list. The small company would often turn down what looked like a generous offer. Next thing they knew, key employees were leaving. They were being headhunted by firms hired by Cisco or MS. Brutal tactics. 

These incremental changes in strike prices are not that big of a deal. They also add cash to the bank account sooner. 

Key engineers are not usually big stock market players. They want to be in the money and feel appreciated. We want them to take the default position that says "Eff off" when the recruiters call. I don't want them showing the bigs "here is how we did this, but a close second was this other way with these benefits". 

We are at an inflection point of "gee, we need this; can we buy from them, or just buy them outright?" or "beat them if we rob them first." 

If it was a consortium buying and leaving some stock to enjoy the growth, that would be OK. But not a buyout at $10-$30 when we are headed for much more. The machine is built, it will print out money; don't screw with it before the first suitcase of cash comes out.