Public corporation CEO compensation has been considered excessive in the United States for decades. What these CEOs make is easy to determine, because publicly traded companies are required to disclose the information. Among the groups that have complained most loudly are those who believe CEOs make little contribution to American society. Why should a CEO make hundreds of times more than school teachers, firemen, or nurses? Yet another group which often objects is shareholders, particularly when CEOs are paid well in a year when earnings or stock prices have performed poorly.

Despite these and other objections, CEO pay has risen steadily for years. Using data for the S&P 500 companies that file on a calendar year, and provided by MyLogIQ, CEO pay rose about $1 million on average in 2021 compared to the previous year. Last year the figure hit $18.5 million. These numbers include base salary, bonuses, stock compensation, and other payments companies are required to disclose to the SEC. The highest paid CEO last year was Peter Kern, who ran Expedia Group, an online shopping and travel website. His 2021 compensation was $296,247,749.