Is the average CEO paid too much in the United States?
CEO's are paid ridiculous amounts
I believe that CEO’s are paid to much because it does not seem to matter just how well the company does while they are running it they still seem to make a ridiculous amount of money. This is wrong because they are supposed to be paid according to how well that the company does but even when it does poorly they are still paid exceedingly well. While this is not a surprise on top of being paid exceedingly well they are also given stock options which essentially increase there earnings even more.
Posted by: AnonymousI believe CEOs, as other workers, should be paid the true value of their work, and most CEOs are not worth their salaries, particularly in our current economic situation.
The gap between CEO pay and that of the average company worker is astronomical. In recent years, most companies have seen profits and growth decrease sharply, yet CEO salaries and bonuses have continued to increase. There is an obvious flaw in a system which allows workers to be underpaid and lose their jobs, because the company is not performing well, yet continues to reward upper management for these failures.
Posted by: DailyFermin35Paid too much!
They're paid too much because all the money they receive, most of them don't even need that much money. To make that much money a year is unnecessary especially for what they do which I really don't understand what is so important about it. I don't know if it's just me but they are paid too much money & that's what I think.
Posted by: AnonymousTheir pay is out of proportion with their importance.
In my opinion yes, they are overpaid. Greed unfortunately has corrupted the country and the world as we see it. I laugh at these bonuses they get paid. They're making millions (with plural) and the average person just makes a living.
This kinds of reminds me of sports. For example: In MLB , you have star players signing long-term contracts for 100 million for 8 years. Now the owners of the teams think they're going to produce and get their money's worth, however, after three or four years, they start to tumble and not produce. Now the fans (customers) and management start to question their performance and motivation. All this money lost, down the drain, and at the end, the fans lose by paying these ridiculous ticket prices so these players get their bonuses and high salaries.
Well this is the way I think of CEOs for big companies. Okay, they have more responsibility and they do deserve a good salary, but to make millions and upon millions from bonuses and later down the line make the company lose revenue, is wrong!
However, there are some good ones out there. Let's look at Costco for example: Costco too me is a great place to work, they treat their employees fairly: employees get paid decently, they're loyal to their customers, they have a low turnaround rate and the CEO's revenue I hear is not as much compared to other CEOs, but then, the company generates lots of revenue. So go figure.
Without the employees, CEOs and stock holders wouldn't make much. I think that many CEOS don't provide the respect that employees need, instead they look down on the average employee as uneducated and happy in getting $10.00 an hour.
I think there is a huge gap between a CEO's outlook versus an employee's.Posted by: Anonymous300x the hourly worker do I need to say more
There is large gap between paid too much and ripping off a company and the employee's. For any one to be compensated at such an alarming amount while other employee's for the same company are being laid off is just plain unforgivable. Many books and articles have been written explaining the down fall of such acts. How is it possible for a company to succeed when it shows it leader cares more about swimming in his own money then people that make the company. Watch as the quality and teamwork fades away until the company is beaten by the competitors.
Posted by: Anonymousoverpaid!
Yes, i believe ceo's are tremendously over paid. Although they do a lot for a company they do not deserve the amount of money they earn. The job they do could be hard but i could name other jobs that involve much more education and more techniques. With our society now in days, our poverty rate is about 40,000 a year, reading about how much ceo's get paid in an hour is the exact same rate as what many people are making in one year of time. Not to say there jobs can be complex overall, there job should not be worth that amount of money.
Posted by: AnonymousThey are paid more than the people who even do the work.
They should get paid the same amount because all they do is sit around and tell whoever the employee is what to do and why they should do it. If they are going to be paid more they need to make an effort to pitch in and do the work right along with the employees.
Posted by: AnonymousLaughable
CEO's are paid too much in every aspect. For the work that is done, difficult or not, it is not worth the thousands more per hour compared to everybody else who is just as big of a contribution as anybody else. Yes their contribution is very important to the function of the company however it does not justify the millions more compared to a general manager. CEO's can live very comfortably on less of a pay, but at this point they are receiving way too much for what they do.
Posted by: AnonymousThe average CEO in the United States receives excessive pay, as the job could be done as effectively (or more effectively) by someone making significantly less.
CEOs in America receive huge salaries, as well as enormous bonuses, which are rarely tied to true performance measures. For example, CEOs of Wall Street firms which lost huge sums of money during the subprime mortgage crash still received multi-million dollar bonuses. Such payment schemes reinforce short-sighted ventures to make a quick buck, rather than long-term strategies to ensure better corporate health. If pay was instead based on more general corporate health, and did not reinforce working for quick, illusory gains, CEOs might do a better job of managing companies for the future.
Posted by: MiIBootThey take huge pay raises, bonuses, and perks that are not available to others in the organization.
I believe that in most cases although CEOs have worked hard to get where they are, they take advantage of all of the work that is done to keep them there. They take huge pay raises, bonuses, and perks that are not available to others in the organization and many times they still take them when the company is failing. Many CEOs only stay with a company for around 5-7 years and then move on to greener pastures. Meanwhile the little guy works and works in an effort to climb the corporate ladder at times to no avail because the people at the top don't want to share the wealth.
Posted by: AnonymousUS CEO's making an average of 394 times that of their regular workers is obscene to say the least!
As far as public companies go I would wholeheartedly agree that US CEO's making an average of 394 times that of their regular workers is obscene to say the least! If pay-for-performance is the argument used by these public companies for the basis on how employee pay is calculated, then many if not all of the bloated CEO pay packages in the US should be done away with and these so-called talented CEO's fired!!
Posted by: AnonymousEverybody else in corporate America is working on teams, but he CEO is still running solo.
When you cut through everything, the real reason the CEO is paid so much is because they are the only one left working solo, they are at the top, and losing them could seriously disrupt the company, plain and simple. This is fundamental economics. They are overpaid though. The reason they are overpaid is that when you start getting to these obscene levels, it starts to attract a different crowd. What you want is the altruistic individual who is mainly in it to do something good in the world, and make a living, what you get instead, is someone who wants to get in and out, and make a load of cash, and be extremely aggressive while they're doing it. If you lowered the salary enough, it would start to become unattractive for this reason and people wouldn't fight each other for the position, and you could go through a few before finding someone in it to do good in the world.
Posted by: AnonymousCEO's are overpaid while others struggle to get by
CEO’s are being paid way to much, with too many making more a day then the average salary of an every day worker. A CEO deserves to have a large amount of money for the work they are doing and the pressure they are under, yet there are to many people who are out of a job or cant support their family with the work salaries they receive. Where does all the money the CEO makes go, especially when they receive their retirement. This money well go as an inheritance to family or friends who haven’t worked for this money where hard working citizens well have to work overtime just to put food on the table and a roof over their families head.
Posted by: AnonymousWhat about everyone else?
Personally, I think that CEOs are paid way too much compared to other careers which require much more skill and dedication. For example, surgeons; yes, surgeons are paid a very comfortable salary, but compared to CEOs? A surgeon has to go through years of schooling, some degrees even reaching a decade of courses in order to receive. A CEO can be selected with very minimal post-secondary schooling, and some are even selected based on politics alone. Yes, CEOs are responsible for a large amount of duty, but so are other people who have jobs that are barely paying enough to support their family. As previously stated, with an anarchy, or even communist society, the public would never allow such people to be paid that much; but with the government involved, it's all about keeping what is made, and not spreading it out evenly in order to maintain a healthy economy.
Posted by: AnonymousCEOs get paid to much
I think CEO's are paid way to much because CEO"S get a couple million get for moving on or retirement. Some CEO's get paid 54 000$ an hour which is crazy and more than what some people get in a year. Also CEO's are suppose to get paid on how the company does, but thats not the case
Posted by: AnonymousUnabashed greed
Look at Caterpillar CEO, a 60% raise to 16million/year and the people on the bottom having their salaries cut and pensions frozen. Hostess, Walmart..Several CEO's make in one hour what their workers wish they'd make in a year. They say they pay their workers competitive rates for where they are but the fact is min wage isn't even living wage in many places. If i were CEO I'd care enough about my business and the people my business hired to make sure they were taken care of. I hope one day the greed is dealt with, one way or the other. If it takes a law to cap salaries and force people to pay their workers an amount they can live on without living off of government then so be it, but there'd be ways and back doors to get around that i'm sure and still run the lower rungs of the ladder down further. It's greed, pure and simple.
Posted by: mamamiaI think it's clear that the average CEO is paid too much, and that salary is more a reward for their aggressive social networking and corporate ladder climbing, rather than a real reflection of the work they do.
When you consider the vast support system that most CEOs have in their office, and how little day-to-day work these positions have, as compared to your everyday middle manager, I do think that the average CEO is paid way too much in the United States.
Posted by: ToughEfrain26CEOs now have an unrealistic idea of their worth to the company, and they demand too much in salaries.
It used to be that the lowest paid employee in the company earned one tenth of the CEO. Now CEOs expect to earn at least 100 times as much as the lowest employee. CEOs do not produce anything and, if their value were compensated by how well the company did under their leadership, they often would get pay cuts.
Posted by: ddeathnoteWho needs this much money?
No one should ever need to be paid so much in such a short time. It's ridiculous how much CEO's get paid and the bigger question would be about how and what they are spending that much money for. Others can barely get by on what little pay they make. Earning this much money is such a waste as it could be put towards a better cause. I can't stress how much of a waste it is that CEO's do get paid too much and quite frankly they aren't the only ones.
Posted by: AnonymousYes. The compensation that CEOs receive is the most glaring indicator of grotesque levels of income inequality.
Not since the age of the Robber Barons has the gap between executive pay and that of the average worker been so high. True, generous compensation packages attract top-flight talent, particularly in competitive fields. A corresponding case can be made that the government should not interfere directly with compensation decisions now dictated by the market. It's also true that CEO pay may not be the primary cause of current U.S. levels of income inequality. Yet more progressive income and consumption taxes, in addition to financing currently under-funded social services, would help to address legitimate concerns about the decline in control over their lives that workers have experienced in the last several decades. As the costs of living skyrocket, benefits decline, and corporations come to set the terms of employees' working conditions and compensation with an increasingly free hand. Income inequality, exemplified by CEO pay, seems central to these problems.
Posted by: M4I4cFeIineGovernment protection
Either way you slice it, if you allow complete freedom (anarchy)... society would never allow people to get that rich. On the other hand, if government were to take control, it doesn't make economic sense (assuming you were to have a planned economy) to have people have so much and not actually produce anything with the faux capital
Posted by: One_Winged_Rookwage is to expensive for the company
in this economy companys are constantly cutting back on the amount of employees they keep at the corporation. this leads to people with 30+ years in the company fearing the lose of their job everyday they go to work, on top of that the employees who dont loose their job end up having to pull the slack from the minimizing in their team and end up plaing more stress on themselves. ask yourself this... how is it fair that a ceo can ask for a high pay and yet continously cut the income of others because they want to make more? this isnt ethical.
Posted by: AnonymousI think that CEO's are paid too much money.
I understand that some of them had to work hard to get to where they are, but people who are just given the position based on family ties and who they know do not deserve to make so much money.
Posted by: WitchSaleToo much cash flow
I do believe Ceos are getting paid too much. Ceos are getting paid more an a hour then some people will make in year. It is not fair to the average person who are struggling to pay bills every month. Ceos are making close to 32 million dollars a year some are making more what are you suppose to do with all that money some people will not even live that long to spend all that money.
Posted by: AnonymousBeyond any doubt, American CEOS are way overpaid compared to other countries.
When comparing the huge wages, perks, golden parachutes, lucrative stock options of the average CEO, it is way out of proportion to his/her worth to the company. The average worker is paid so little compared to the average Ceo, it is a shame that such a huge disparity exists. Even CEOS who have failed at their positions are handsomely rewarded when they leave, as opposed to just being fired with no benefits for the worker who has failed at his job.
Posted by: NettN355People in positions of power are able to maintain their position by making decisions, such as the amount of pay and bonuses they pay themselves
People in a position of power can easily abuse that power. They become accustomed to a certain lifestyle and then have to maintain it. They exist in their own world far removed from the average worker in their company, rarely understanding the issues that these people face on a day to day basis.
Posted by: NorbyM4d3Workers slave away while CEOs stock up on Golden Parachutes
Entry level workers are being cut back on, forced to work 40 hours "part time" making less than livable pay, while CEOs are lounging back making millions if not billions, while this employees are going through foreclosures, government assistance lines, and sleeping in their cars. Who truly needs to make several million dollars every damn year? I can't afford to have the children i so desire because I can barely afford a roof over my head, while making above the pathetic minimum wage. Hello poverty line.
Posted by: AnonymousToo Much
Yes, in ways I believe CEO’s are payed too much but I also think they should make that much. The reason I believe they get payed too much is because sometimes you have that average worker who works harder, better and more efficient then your CEO! Some CEO’s dont know how to make the right choices and don’t know when to stop and make things right or keep the company moving smoothly.
Posted by: AnonymousNo more cash for you!
The answer is quite simple, Yes. And although this can be easily argued from an "ethical" standpoint, one does need to take into account the economic factors surrounding this issue. Accordingly it's imparative that we analyse the corporate value of said individuals. For example, the CEO of a corporation has far more value to the profitability of a company than say, a janitor or receptionist. This is not to say these job titles are not imparative to the smooth running of the corporation on a daily basis, but in an international economy if the CEO is bringing in millions of dollars in profit to the corporation, than they need to be paid according as such. However, $421 million is a ridiculous sum of money for ANYONE. So, YES CEOs are overpaid but this is not to say they shouldn't be earning healthy wages. In the future hopefully we will see their income decrease by a small percentage, whilst still holding incentive value so as to keep them working.
Posted by: Anonymoustoo much
Yes I believe that CEO’s are paid too much. As an example Stephen Crawford was only a CEO for 100 days and he was making $54,000 per hour. CEO’s are getting paid 300 times and average production worker makes in a 2003 study. In my thoughts this is an extreme amount and is way to much to pay someone. CEO’s get paid even for retiring there have been severance packages for some CEO’s over $100 million dollars just for retiring! These CEO’s get paid ridiculous amounts of money probably so much they don’t even know what to do with it. 54,000 dollars an hour, working the same hours as average workers approx.. 8h a day 5 days a week. The CEO’s pay is just way to much and should be cut down.
Posted by: AnonymousCEO's are getting paid to the point where they don't care about how the company does because they know that no matter what, they will make money.
All the failures of the company for effect the average workers, causing paycuts and lay-offs, while the CEO's will still be making ridiculous amounts of money (sometimes over $50,000 per hour...thats more then some people make in a year).
This is clearly too much money because the chances are most of they will not spent it. This contributes to the "rich get richer and poor get poorer" state of our economy, with all the rich people hoarding money.Posted by: AnonymousI think some CEOs make entirely too much, considering some of their jobs are not as taxing as lower salaried individuals.
There are people in the world that do things that are much more important than the average CEO. Doctors save lives, teachers educate the world, and presidents run entire countries. There is no reason why someone who sits behind a desk and makes decisions should be paid more than any of them. Especially the President, who is in charge of running an entire country with millions of people, while CEOs are in charge of just several thousand people.
Posted by: StevyDemonYes, because in most companies the CEO and all the top officers get the money, but the average worker gets laid off and salaries cut.
Look at some of the big wigs that been in the news the last few years. You have some CEOs and presidents taking big salaries and bonus pay while people are losing their jobs because the company can't pay them anymore. If
more CEOs would stop accepting lavish bonuses, it would save a lot of jobs.Posted by: SnoopBurCEO compensation should be tied more directly to the performance of the company.
I understand that a corporate CEO has a unique skill set that should be generously compensated; however, when the company is doing poorly and cutting salaries, benefits and hours for the "boots on the ground" employees the CEO should take an equivalent or greater hit to their own compensation package. CEOs should not be earning bonuses when the company is loosing money or just maintaining. Their salaries and bonuses should be tied to the performance of the company.
Posted by: 5h4d0wFuItJob Creation versus Executive Pay
Rather than creating jobs or increasing revenue, CEO's reduce costs by layoffs or sending work overseas. The reduction of companies' talents and the cultural differences will eventually catch up and the foundation of these companies will be begin to crumble. Companies will begin to lose their intellectual property to Asian countries that do not share the creative process that we do in the US.
Posted by: AnonymousYes, I think they are paid too much because lets face it, we all work hard.
The average CEO is paid too much for the job that they do. Although I am not too sure of just what is in there job description. I do know from what I've read, and what I've seen on TV, they are definitely paid too much.
Posted by: P AllisonThe average CEO is paid entirely too much when so many people are out of work or haven't had a raise in years.
When one or a handful of people are paid millions plus bonuses while there are mass layoffs, extreme unemployment and little to no pay increase for so many workers over the last years, it is just a moral travesty. That kind of salary is not truly earned, causes much resentment within a company and society as a whole, and would better be spent spread around. Societies begin to fail when they begin to be separated into the haves and the have nots, and this is what is happening here with big business.
Posted by: OnfBIeakSpecial Talent Argument
Those who think CEOs need special talent are definitely not going to be ever a CEO. If every company looks through their top leadership that are working/supporting CEO can take that space any time. Pay difference is ridiculous. It is the way it is because corporate America rules the country. If you have political connections and/or client connection and you can bring tones of more new business you can be CEO any day. Now if you start your own business - you can be CEO from day one (don't require a special talent) just common business sense. base salaries of corporate CEO's should be in par with federal job grades just like for other employees. If they bring solely because of them a new million dollar business and make profie out of it they get fix cut out of it for that year. Paying CEOs 100x 300x 500x more money then the rest is basically saying rest of the employees are suckers, looser and bottom feeders. Its a shame. Silver line - something that is not sustainable always falls, its only matter of time.
Posted by: chrismichaelThe average CEO in the U.S. is paid too much, because of the way our industries try to entice candidates.
Businesses really try hard to obtain the proper CEO for their company. Some of these tactics include presenting the CEO candidates with over-exaggerated salaries. Even when a current CEO expresses that he is showing interest in applying at another company, the current company will try to increase his salary to motivate him to stay on. This process has managed to increase CEO salaries into ridiculous amounts.
Posted by: eyeslikethatIn my opinion yes CEO's are over paid, there’s no doubt that being in a higher position warrants a higher pay but not the way of 300x as much as the average employee
When a companies are going under and all the employees are laid-off without any help, the CEO's have severance packages worth millions of dollars. How is this fair for the average joe, when someone who puts may years into a company paying in to there pension. And then to be fired without a pension or benefits while the one in charge who had a big impact on the outcome of the company gets a severance package worth millions.
Posted by: AnonymousIs there enough incentive to become a CEO?
The only incentive to work up the ladder to CEO is to make millions of dollars and to live a life of greedy luxury while some of your employees try to figure out how to live life making minimum wage with an annual salary of around $16,000 per year. It is not about what is fair; it is about what is right. Lets choose to leave in harmony with one another, not in dominant and dominated roles.
Posted by: AnonymousThe Value of Work
Based on my opinion, I think they are getting payed way to much than what they actually need. In a perfect society, the quality of work and the affect it has should be taken into consideration. Why should someone who isn't working at all be payed more than someone who has one of the "undesirable" types of jobs.
Posted by: AnonymousI agree that CEOs are overpaid in United States.
It is not uncommon that CEOs have exorbitant salaries. I also came across a quote in a magazine that says, average CEO salary has reached 531 times more than an average worker's hourly rate. It is quite surprising to see how much CEOs are paid when compared to the work they do.
Posted by: SaroM0vi3
"Paid too much" is the most anti-American statement in the world.
Why do you go to work? Why do you raise a family? Why do you go to college? Why do you get a job? Why do you play sports? Sense a theme? Because there are people that want to win first place and the are people that are just satisfied with whatever they can get. What is it worth to risk your home, family, health, marriage to become number one? An artificial cap on your salary? The market bears whatever someone else is willing to pay. That is why any successful company is successful- because the owners were willing to take a risk for a spectacular reward. People that aren't willing to take that risk should be happy with what they are able to reap without risking it all.
Posted by: AnonymousCEO: A special talent
I believe that CEOs, while getting paid a very large sum of money should not have a pay decrease. CEOs are A very important part of a company a deserve they money they get if they are able to manage their company to success. Being a CEO takes a lot of work and talent. There arent many people in this world that have what it takes in order to be a CEO. Every large public company needs a CEO. In order to attract these CEOs they need to be paid more an more money to get the best of the best, which is what every company strives for. They same can be said for professional athletes for actors. True it doesn’t seem fair but they have a special talent that is rare and thus they get paid a larger sum of money than the average person.
Posted by: Anonymousno
no I believe that Ceo's are paid just the right amount they do give us jobs and their jobs are hard too I think they should get paid more. I know that I were a CEO I would not like all the attention that I was getting because I worked hard for my job!
Posted by: AnonymousNon-laughable
CEO's do not get paid too much in the United States. Yes people making less money than CEO's will argue that as workers they have worked harder than the boss but really the boss has worked harder than anyone to get their company into the postion their in, the CEO's do not make to much money. CEO's are useally the face of their company and should make the most money.
Posted by: AnonymousThe fact that they're voluntarily paid by their shareholders...
Suggests that this is a voluntary transaction. If someone is willing to pay you X dollars, then you are worth X dollars. Basics of supply and demand. The real question of worth is a matter of to whom you are worth what. For example to a blind man, a silent film is worthless assuming they have no interpreter to describe what is happening. A glass of water is worth more to someone who hasn't drank in 2 days than to someone who just finished a glass.
Posted by: jacob.stewart129142The average CEO is not paid too much in the United States, because they devote enough time and effort to deserve it.
Yes the CEO does get paid a lot of money. However, look at the amount of hours they have to put in. It takes a lot of sacrifice from the CEO. Obviously, he is compensated for all the time he or she puts into the job. But, just like any high position held, it will be nice if they took a quick look at the situation of the little guy.
Posted by: StripperMorThese people are the superstars of their field.
Many hollywood actors make as much. I think Tom Cruise made 75 million last year. Sports stars make similar salaries. The referee obviously shouldn't make as much as the football star. The same goes for business. To get a sports star or a hollywood star, you pay the going rate.
Posted by: AnonymousCEOs have earned their money
CEOs have worked hard over the years and have learned and aquired the skills needed to be a succesful CEO. One must have earned their way up the rankings to become the CEO of a company. If the position was not a well paid job companys would not have the skillful and successful CEOs of today.
Posted by: AnonymousThey deserve what they make.
No, i don't think that CEOs are paid too much money for what they do. For the amount of work and the responsibility that they have for the company they deserve that amount they make. The company wouldnt run if there were no CEOs, and no one would want to take on that responsibility if they were not making a good sum of money. There are only certain people who are cut out for the job, or who are willing to take the responsibility of being a CEO of a company. I believe that these people deserve what they make.
Posted by: Anonymousnope
it's basic supply/demand. Look, there's only a certain amount of people who are willing or have the skills necessary to be a CEO of a company. The demand for these CEOs is quite high. I mean look at how many public companies there are. Therefore, in order to attract the CEOs, you must provide an adequate incentive, the price you pay for the CEO will be very high. Basic economics....
Posted by: THEBOMBWhy else aspire to be a CEO?
I believe that CEO's are definitely paid the right amount. For the amount of work that they have to do during the time that they are a CEO as well as the amount of work put into the company before being called to the top, it is clear that they put in enough hard work and dedication to deserve that salary. If they can make it to the very top of the food chain within a company then they have clearly earned the salary being given to them. The one's who say it is an unfair salary are the one's not willing to put in the amount of effort it takes to get there.
Posted by: AnonymousCEOs fuel our economy
CEOs may seem sinecure; however they are a vital component of the managerial class in American society. Without these men and women, "mom and pop shops" and the government would be the only employers in America. These corporations are vital for economic growth, which not only benefit the United States, but the entire world, as outsourcing and trade are a key components of these companies as well. To be fair, some corporations are corrupt by exploiting their workings, controlling competition and therefore prices, damaging the environment, and lobbying politicians for unfair legislature and reform. Yes, many corporations associate with or are a part of these appalling behaviors. That is the reality and yes it's not fair; however, the government has intervened on several occasions to regulate companies. A prime example is the antitrust laws implemented by the T. Roosevelt administration. For example, they dissolved, to an extent, Standard Oil and US Steel. And the FDR administration advocated for workers' rights and labor unions, setting minimum wages and working hours. Corporations can get out of hand, but that's what our government is here for, to regulate awful business practices. And in all honesty, the majority of CEOs are nice, friendly, hard-working Americans. Some donate billions upon billions to charity and non-profit organizations. There are a few bad apples, so we as Americans need to spot them, stop them, and let them decay. CEOs work long hours and many days to build their companies. And when the companies become huge corporations, the CEOs do deserve a lot of money. They efficiently used the American capitalistic system to climb the social ladder. And if they didn't do it themselves, they inherited it from someone who did, a true testament to a system in which I still have complete faith.
Posted by: Anonymous