In my (UK) experience, a 1x liquidation pref seems requested. 3x seems unpalatable. Maybe things are different in the US west coast. (It's certainly easier to raise money there, so perhaps the terms are harder as a compromise.)

You're right that employees with options don't get enough information to understand the value and potential value and mechanisms of their options in private companies. That's what I was driving at (poorly) in a separate comment.