Completely agree with what OP is saying, but I think he means a four year vesting period, not a four year cliff. A cliff is the amount of time you have to wait until your shares start vesting. The vesting period is the length of time it takes for all your shares to vest.

The standard agreement in Silicon Valley is a four year vesting period with a one year cliff. You'd had to be insane to agree to a four year cliff.