Profit Over People: CEOs at These 10 Companies Make Over 1,000 Times More Than Their Employees
Corporate Greed
The richest 1% of Americans make 84 times as much as the bottom 20%, according to the Congressional Budget Office. And if things go on as they have for the past four decades, the rich will continue to see considerable gains in income while the rest of us will, well, we’ll still be eating struggle meals.
If those facts don’t make you want to eat the rich, then this will: the average S&P 500 company’s CEO made 272 times more than their average worker. And at the following 10 companies, the top dogs all make over 1,000 times as much as their employees.
1. Live Nation Entertainment
CEO Pay: $139 million
Median Worker Pay: $25,673
Pay Ratio: 5,414:1
Live Nation Entertainment might just be the worst company in the U.S. — if not the world. To begin with, Live Nation’s CEO Michael Rapino makes over 5,000 times more than its median worker. But Rapino doesn’t just shaft his workers. He and Ticketmaster, a Live Nation subsidiary, have such a stranglehold on the music industry (monopoly, anyone?) that they can do whatever they want, including apparently treating customers like crap.
2. Western Digital Corporation
CEO Pay: $32.14 million
Median Worker Pay: $9,644
Pay Ratio: 3,332:1
Western Digital, the company behind WD and SanDisk hard drives, brings in over $12 billion a year. A sizeable chunk of that money goes to its CEO, David Goeckeler, who makes over 3,000 times as much as the company’s median worker. Doesn’t that seem a little unfair?
3. Aptiv
CEO Pay: $16.21 million
Median Worker Pay: $8,139
Pay Ratio: 1,991:1
While you may have never heard of Aptiv, there’s a good chance you’ve come across one of its products. The Irish-American company supplies software and electrical systems for cars and was once a part of General Motors. On top of making components for autos and underpaying its employees, Aptiv (formerly Delphi) was named one of America’s most toxic air polluters in the early 2000s. Oh, and it refused to pay its employees pensions after the company’s precursor, Delphi, went bankrupt.
Related: CEOs Who Scored Massive Payouts Despite Being Fired
4. Coca-Cola
CEO Pay: $22.82 million
Median Worker Pay: $12,122
Pay Ratio: 1,833:1
Like most big American companies, Coca-Cola’s Wikipedia page has a lengthy “criticisms” section. One allegation? Coca-Cola reportedly contracted with far-right death squads in Colombia. If that isn’t bad enough, they also pay most of their employees a pittance compared to what CEO James Quincy is making.
Related: Famous CEOs Who Ended Up Behind Bars
5. Oracle
CEO Pay: $138.19 million
Median Worker Pay: $75,043
Pay Ratio: 1,842:1
This software company rakes in a lot of money, and when we say a lot, we mean it. In the last fiscal year, Oracle made $50 billion, which is around the size of Tunisia’s entire economy. While its tech workers make good money, Oracle CEO Safra Katz is walking away with over $100 million every year.
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(Dis)honorable Mentions
...and the list goes on. The following five companies also have some of the worst CEO-to-employee pay ratios.
6. Yum! Brands
CEO Pay: $16.67 million
Median Worker Pay: $10,398
Pay Ratio: 1,603:1
7. TJX Companies
CEO Pay: $20.53 million
Median Worker Pay: $13,844
Pay Ratio: 1,478:1
8. Seagate Technology
CEO Pay: $11.44
Median Worker Pay: $12,065
Pay Ratio: 948:1
9. McDonald’s
CEO Pay: $17.77 million
Median Worker Pay: $14,521
Pay Ratio: 1,224:1
10. Apple
CEO Pay: $99.42 million
Median Worker Pay: $84,493
Pay Ratio: 1,771:1
