2001. On my way out the door, the boss asked if I was planning to buy my options. I said I probably would. He shook his head and silently mouthed “Noooo”. Two weeks later our lovely VC punters shat out an 800-for-1 reverse. Thanks boss!
Very roughly speaking, Split -> Stock is so good the company wants to cash in; Buyback -> Stock is still good enough that the company wants it back; Reverse Split -> Stock is tanking and company doesn't want to scare people.