Amazon CEO Andy Jassy’s total compensation plunged in 2022, after he took a 99% pay cut, earning less than the company’s founder Jeff Bezos.
In the document released by the company, Jassy was paid a total of $1.3 million in 2022, including a $317,500 base salary plus another $981,000 in 401(K) plan contributions. His 2022 total compensation was a major decline from $212,701,169 earned in 2021.
Jassy’s lesser compensation in 2022 was a result of him not receiving any stock awards during the year. According to Insider, Jassy vested $31.9 million in 2022 and is expected to vest $18.9 million in 2023. The filing shows that the pay ratio of Amazon’s median employee globally to Jassy was 1 to 38 in 2022, or about $34,000 compared with the CEO’s $1.3 million in salary and benefits. In 2021, the ratio was 1 to 6,474.
Although his total compensation dropped, Jassy who has been the CEO of the company for two years, saw a major salary increase of $317,500 from $175,000 recorded in 2021.
In a letter, Jassy acknowledged that some of the cost-cutting steps Amazon has recently taken are challenging, but he believes that the company would greatly benefit from it in the long run. To date, the e-commerce giant company has let go of about 27,000 workers in a major cost-cutting effort.
Amazon has also shut down several operations to reduce costs and has put more emphasis on areas that will help the business to grow. Jassy disclosed that each initiative’s long-term potential would drive adequate revenue operating income, free cash flow, and return on invested capital by taking a deep look throughout the organization business by business.
He said “We will put in a lot of effort to manage our spending to keep a lean culture. We recognize the need to consistently foster a cost-conscious culture, especially in a company that experiences net losses. We prefer to focus on growth at this time because we think that scale is essential to realizing the promise of our business model”.
He further disclosed that the company would continue to add to its workforce and would continue to compensate its stock option rather than cash.
Investors King understands that Andy Jassy is not the only CEO who took a pay cut among the top tech companies. Apple CEO Tim Cook will earn $49 million in 2023, about 40 percent less than what he was paid in 2022. Google CEO Sundar Pichai also received a lower compensation in 2022, compared to the previous year.
Several other such as Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman, and Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon are just a few examples of high-profile CEOs who have taken salary cuts to support their employees and businesses. While these pay cuts may not solve all the company’s challenges, these CEOs have shown a commitment to responsible leadership and a willingness to make tough decisions to keep their businesses afloat.