I have an offer that vests over 6 years with a 1.5 year cliff. Is that normal? I'm used to 4 years 1 year cliff, but the CEO said that 1.5/6 are common for companies that "want employees who care about the long term"
An employer who wants to keep you will demonstrate that by compensating you well and giving you an opportunity to augment your skills.
This offerer sounds like someone who has experienced turnover problems and has decided that it's everyone else's fault.
Refresher grants could also motivate employees to stick around for the long term!
Nonetheless, given YOUR market, you should check whether the other parts of the compensation they are giving you are right. For example, there was the case of Mailchimp a couple of days ago: They gave no stock to their employees. However, in theory their compensation package was good in other ways. So if the company is offering you a good salary + benefits (what about 401k matching? PTO? sick days? gym membership, WFH and whatnot), that will give you the full picture.
If there's a hostile reaction to [3], you just learned something valuable. If there's a neutral reaction, you can say that you're evaluating the CEO's ability to negotiate and persuade, which is true.
Interviews and offer negotiations go both ways.
If they want to keep you motivated for the long term even if value isn't increasing rapidly then they can do bonuses, refreshers, etc.
Run away. This CEO wants to hold your equity hostage.
Run away. Next thing they'll start in on how they're a family.