Yeah, in this case, for pennies on the dollar. I'd buy every share I could get if I could get them for the $7.47/share that iGore paid. He paid about $441K for 59,000 shares that were immediately worth about $30 million.
That's juicy, no matter how you squeeze it.
Stock options cannot be different from what are to other employees when they are granted. Apple grants stock options to new management employees when they are hired. Stock options also are taxed as capitol gains on the difference between peak price on the day granted and when the options are exercised. In fact, Steve Jobs almost got in trouble over stock options granted by the board back in the early 2000s. . . the potential trouble had to do with dates they were authorized and when they were actually granted, and when they were actually issued. . . because the board authorization had been made in the previous fiscal year than the dates of grant and issue. . . a matter of a couple of months. Gore had to pay big taxes on those options. . .
When Al Gore was brought on to the board, the price of Apple stock was $7.47 a share and by law, that was the exercise price at which he could buy the stock. . . and his agreement was that at a future date, exercisable on that date, he could buy x number of shares for the spot price of Apple common shares on the date he joined the board. This was not some "sweetheart deal" created only for Al Gore. Every new hire added to Apple management on that date could ALSO buy Apple stock at the same future date for that price . . . as a reward for sticking around and their work. If the stock went down Gore's, and their, options would be worthless. . . but, the intent is, that if the stock went up, it would be due in part to his work as a member of the board or as am employee of Apple and would be part of his and their compensation. It went up. . . and he and they earned their reward.
Gore has another 60,000 shares he can exercise at a still future date for that same $7.47 a share. This is a normal and expected compensation technique for officers and management of corporations.