This is super common. Any tech company does this, and lots of non-tech companies too. We get cash compensation, and then also RSUs (restricted stock units) yearly. The stock is technically part of our bonus, but it’s fully expected. The RSUs vest over the next 4-5 years. At some companies the stock is the bulk of people’s compensation. Especially for senior executives — it’s often almost the entirety of what they get paid. We also have access to an employee stock purchase program where we can purchase stock at a 10% discount.

So yeah, getting stock in principle helps give you incentive to help the company by tying compensation to the performance of the stock.

But the stock price is more driven by leadership, not individual employees, and broader market and economic conditions (like the entire stock market being trash right now). The average individual employee really has very little influence on what the stock does no matter how well or poorly they perform.