Category: CNBC

From Bob Iger to Warren Buffett and Jack Dorsey: These Are the Highest and Lowest Paid CEOs

Becoming a chief executive officer of a top company seems like the pinnacle of success, so what kind of money do those at the top make? For its annual report on compensation for CEOs of S&P 500 companies, The Wall Street Journal found that it varies widely, with the highest-paid CEO earning $129.4 million in 2018 and the lowest earning just $1.

The report, which was based on data from public company intelligence firm MyLogIQ, found that that the median pay for CEOs in 2018 was $12.4 million (up from $12.1 million in 2017).

The highest paid CEO in 2018 was David M. Zaslav of entertainment network Discovery, Inc. Zaslav was paid $129.4 million, a sharp increase from his $42.2 million in 2017. Much of his pay comes from stock options, and the Journal notes his significant increase in pay was almost entirely performance-based and a result of a “substantial increase in stock-option awards tied to a five-year contract extension through 2023.”

Disney Isn’t the Only Company Paying Its CEO 1,000 Times More Than Its Typical Employee Earns

Chief executives have long earned some of the largest paychecks in America, but at what point does their compensation defy reason? If you’re Abigail Disney, the granddaughter of the Disney company’s co-founder Roy Disney, the tipping point is about $66 million — or what Disney CEO Bob Iger earned last year.

In a series of tweets posted on April 21, Abigail Disney criticized the level of compensation Iger receives, stating that “by any objective measure a pay ratio over a thousand is insane.”

The $65.7 million Iger earned last year is indeed more than 1,000 times the median salary of all Disney employees, which is $46,127, according to a study from Equilar. Thanks to incentives associated with his contract extension, that imbalance amounted to a paycheck 1,424 times greater than his workers’ in 2018. (This year, his compensation is projected to be a more modest $35 million.)

Median CEO Pay Reaches $12.1 Million—Here’s How Much the 5 Highest-Paid Leaders Earn

It pays to be a CEO. According to a Wall Street Journal analysis of 2017 pay for S&P 500 leaders, median pay reached $12.1 million. That’s “a new post-recession high,” the WSJ reports, and “most S&P 500 CEOs received raises of 9.7 percent or better last year.” Broadcom CEO Hock Tan topped the list of highest-paid leaders with… Continue reading Median CEO Pay Reaches $12.1 Million—Here’s How Much the 5 Highest-Paid Leaders Earn