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Profit Over People: CEOs at These 10 Companies Make Over 1,000 Times More Than Their Employees

Published

October 23, 2023

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Cartoon showing group of capitalists and their money — Cheapism/Bing Image Creator

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

Hollywood Heights, Los Angeles, California - January 23, 2014: Live Nation - Sign on top of Corporate office. Live Nation is an American events promoter and venue operator based in Beverly Hills, California. — Eric Broder Van Dyke/istockphoto

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

Western Digital headquarters in San Jose, California, USA - June 8, 2023.Western Digital Corporation is an American computer drive manufacturer and data storage company. — JHVEPhoto/istockphoto

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

Mar 30, 2020 Mountain View / CA / USA - Aptiv Labs headquarters in Silicon Valley; Aptiv PLC, an automotive parts technology company, is developing a fully-integrated autonomous driving platform — Sundry Photography/istockphoto

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.

4. Coca-Cola

Atlanta, GA, USA - November 17, 2022: The Coca-Cola World Headquarters building in Atlanta, Georgia. The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation and manufacturer. — wellesenterprises/istockphoto

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.

5. Oracle

Redwood City, CA, USA – March 18, 2014: The Oracle World Headquarters located in Redwood City. Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation. — wellesenterprises/istockphoto

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

Meet the Writer

Maxwell Shukuya

Maxwell is a California-based writer who got his start in print journalism, a career that satisfies his love of research. That penchant for learning also fuels his desire to be a discerning consumer — whether he’s looking for his next pair of headphones or rock-climbing shoes. When he’s not hunched over his laptop, you can find Maxwell sending routes at the crag, playing Magic: The Gathering, or hanging out with his buddies at the bar. As a UCSC alumnus, he’s also a proud banana slug. You can reach him at [email protected].