Microsofties still digesting pay freeze upset by Nadella's 'landmark year' memo

Following a wave of layoffs and stagnating pay, dissent among some of Microsoft's workforce is breaking out against CEO Satya Nadella after he thanked them for their contribution to the "landmark" fiscal '23. Microsoft's latest full financial year ended on 30 June and the big boss dispatched a memo on the internal message …

[Potemkine!]

Never underestimate the inhumanity of a CEO.

Many of these guys are just plain psychopaths.. Exploiting people is their joie de vivre

In a sane society, these guys would be put o.ut of state of causing trouble. In our rotten reality, they are presented as models.

[Snake]

Re: inhumanity

It's not inhumanity, it's simple outright mortal corruption: the ability to be so selfish in your greed, a greed that society not only forwards but celebrates, that you can openly siphon money off the workers to pay to the already-rich.

And have a society that simply shrugs at the occurrence.

[CowHorseFrog]

Re: inhumanity

If theres a single word that defines America is CEO worship.

Go watch the media, only CEOs are worthy of having a voice, its almost like only these group of magical people are worthy of having any platform. I could never figure out why America disallows titles like Lord, yet it worships titles like CEO far more than old Europe. Greed is always an acceptable reason for any action.

Just look ata those American sportstars, making millions from Nike while the kids in a sweatshot get $1 a day, but thats ok because they dont call them black, or asian or whatever and $1 a day isnt slavery. Its all ok because the CEO says its okay.

[Our Lord and Savior Rahl]

Re: inhumanity

CEO Worship is 2 words...

[Michael Strorm]

I didn't expect a kind of "landmark year memo"

If there are *two* words that define America they're "craven CEO worship"....

If there are *three* words that define America they're "blinkeredly craven CEO worship"....

If there are *four* words...

I'll come in again.

[Simian Surprise]

Re: inhumanity

> CEO Worship is 2 words...

Surely 4?

[CowHorseFrog]

Re: inhumanity

So you can can count too 2 , but you are blind to ceo worship itself which is a pillar of american life?

[disgruntled yank]

Re: inhumanity

Chuck Daly, who coached various NBA teams including eventually the Detroit Pistons, said that it was like dealing with 12 CEOs day in, day out. However, sports stars are not in general actually CEOs, be they American or be they European.

I don't in general watch the media. I do read the newspapers, and yes, CEOs do show up--they make news, like it or not.

[David Nash]

Re: inhumanity

see also Thames Water, etc.

[wigger]

Re: inhumanity

After the EU tried to force the privatization of the Irish state asset water company the Irish took back their water company and it went so far as a referendum.

We should do the same..

[Doctor Syntax]

"I want to express my sincere appreciation"

I'm sure he's sincere. There's no appreciation as sincere as that for a hefty bonus.

[Pascal Monett]

So, landmark year and, for thanks, pay freeze

The logic escapes me. But that's probably why I am not CEO of a multi-trillion dollar company.

Borkzilla is swimming in billions of cash. Revenue is up. Profits may be down, but when you're making more than $50 billion a year, is that really a big problem ? Something to keep an eye on, to be sure, but hey, $50 billion. You can reward your employees and directly improve their morale and work attitude. Giving them a raise can make them feel privileged, and they don't even have a golden parachute.

Okay, so the shareholders might have had to content themselves with a quarterly dividend of $0.67 per share. Gosh, what a sacrifice to ensure that your workforce is happy to be at the coalface.

Oh, I forgot, they're shareholders. They don't give a damn about the workforce, all they want is the highest possible dividend.

Did anyone ever analyse the selfishness inherent to capitalism ?

[Khaptain]

Re: So, landmark year and, for thanks, pay freeze

"Did anyone ever analyse the selfishness inherent to capitalism ?"

They're synonymes.

[CowHorseFrog]

Re: So, landmark year and, for thanks, pay freeze

Capitalism has already existed, its just there are different ranges or levels of extremist capitalism. Its one thing to make a profit, its another to pay kids in Indonesia $1 a day because of profits and then pay a white or black American millions because they are American.

I think you will find theres a big difference between whats acceptable in the name of profits in say Australia and America. THe treatment of lowly paid workers in America would never be acceptable legally or morally in Australia or New Zealand or Europe.

[Benegesserict Cumbersomberbatch]

Re: So, landmark year and, for thanks, pay freeze

Downvotes without explanation? Really?

The US exploits its workforce, disproportionately to similar economies. And it does it counter to is own national interest.

Minimum wage has gone backwards in real terms since the Reagan era. Their Gini coefficient is the worst in the OECD and worse than most third world nations.

The US was never more prosperous than when it had a large and prosperous middle class who could live comfortably while driving productivity and employment. The 80s corporate decision to abolish the middle class has taken all of the profit and put it in the pockets of the C-suite and the billionaires that own them. Meanwhile, tax on the super-rich is abolished and organised labor is vilified, so the process becomes self-perpetuating.

Money is not for ordinary people. No wonder ordinary people are angry.

[Steve Davies 3]

Re: but when you're making more than $50 billion a year

is that really a big problem ?

Doh! Of course it is a problem. Those jerks on Wall St who speak out of their anal passages want $100 billion next year and $200B the year after that.

They don't care who gets screwed over a barrel and Orifice rammed up you know where. All they care is about their end of year bonuses for predicting the passing of crap.

F Microsoft who has already F'd those stupid enough to still be working for them.

Just stop buying/renting/subscribing to anything from MS. You know it makes sense.

[Woodnag]

Re: but when you're making more than $50 billion a year

"Just stop buying/renting/subscribing to anything from MS"

It's getting more difficult to 'buy' as opposed to rent. And older Outlooks very quickly won't work with the latest Exchange Server... odd, that.

[Snapper]

Re: but when you're making more than $50 billion a year

Or even allow you to upgrade your files to the latest version of Outlook!

[Doctor Syntax]

Re: but when you're making more than $50 billion a year

"F Microsoft who has already F'd those stupid enough to still be working for them."

And there are those who are stupid enough to buy rent the products made by those stupid enough to work for them.

[Agamemnon]

Re: but when you're making more than $50 billion a year

Yet again I get to say that I'm a UNIX guy that lives in Redmond (my better half imported me, it's the missus fault).

I happen to be sitting at the mall and Microsofties are looking a little glum today.

Glad I don't have to go around campus today (I take transit to Seattle to skip bridge tolls and insane parking fees it my usual bus covers three sides of campus so I have learned to get a "feel" for Microsoft employee's moods).

And I've got some good friends that work or have worked there that'll probably wander into Starbucks later and I'll get an ear full.

This week ain't going to be chipper for that crowd.

[Michael Wojcik]

Re: but when you're making more than $50 billion a year

Just stop buying/renting/subscribing to anything from MS

Sure. I think I've only ever once actually purchased anything from Microsoft anyway, and that was because I was on a tour of the campus and we went to the employee store, and I bought a PC game at a steep discount basically just because I was there.

But my employer spends vast sums on Microsoft software, so does it really matter whether I abstain? Consumer purchases are a drop in the bucket (at least for software; I suppose the XBox division is a different story), and corporate ones are typically decided at the C-suite level.

[An_Old_Dog]

the selfishness inherent to capitalism

"Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, the reverse is true." -- some guy.

[sabroni]

Re: Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, the reverse is true.

Say nothing, serf, don't you see there is no alternative? We have to let the rich fuck the planet up, otherwise COMMUNISM!!!!!

[CowHorseFrog]

Re: the selfishness inherent to capitalism

Typical American.

They cant grasp there are other forms of capitalism. Just because you dont agree with their fake American dream, they then label you are communist.

Yes we all know America, the land of fake propaganda like American movies and tv shows where somehow every second person is a billionaire or perhaps i can refer you to Google the biggest content provider of what you call advertising but everyone else calls bullshit. Or maybe we can talk about how americans love each other so much and yet they have so many poor people living in the gutters ?

[TheMeerkat]

Re: So, landmark year and, for thanks, pay freeze

Those blaming Capitalism are just typical ignorant Western-born never-seen an alternative lefties.

Any other system is exactly the same in terms of selfishness of people, especially those at the top. If you don’t believe me - check North Korea.

[Snapper]

Re: So, landmark year and, for thanks, pay freeze

Also check the number of dead in the 20th century in the USSR, China, Cambodia and at the bottom of the Berlin wall. Makes Hitler look like a toddler.

[CowHorseFrog]

Re: So, landmark year and, for thanks, pay freeze

Communism was such as disaster not because of its economic principles, but because it concentrated the power to so few, just like American corporate culture.

[jmch]

Re: So, landmark year and, for thanks, pay freeze

"Communism was such as disaster not because of its economic principles, but because it concentrated the power to so few..."

Only partly.

The economic principles are a main driver, because without reward for good performance there is no incentive to work harder/smarter/better, and if everyone is receiving the same regardless of their input then the incentive is to put as little effort as one can get away with (to be fair this also exist to a lesser extent in capitalism - we all know 'that guy' )

The other as you mention is the power, because when 'the government' takes everything and then decides who gets what, there is never really a 'government' deciding, there is a person or group of people whose incentive is to assign as much of that to themselves as possible (and again, that's the same in capitalism where mixing the functions of the board and the company executives allows the executives to effectively name their own salary)

[Nick Ryan]

Re: So, landmark year and, for thanks, pay freeze

Adequate and acceptable reward is where it's at.

Capitalists often try to quite Adam Smith, however if you've read the book that the capitalism that typical capitalists want, where they can do whatever they want, human rights are an inconvenience to their profit making and they justify all this through a particularly twisted and evil "well, open market economics will sort out what is acceptable or not"... well that's not what Adam Smith wrote about. He didn't write about "trickle down economics" being an end aim either. He was all for regulated capitalism, where competition is enforced and retained, not where monopolistic practices rule. The privatisation of natural monopolies is one of the most stupid and ignorant things to do... but it could be done well in a well regulated and enforced manner. Unfortunately, when not regulated enough, they typically become an abusive scenario and Thames Water is a perfect example of this. The right wing Tory solution for this is... to deregulate more. /sigh

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: So, landmark year and, for thanks, pay freeze

There is a good example of this in the book "The hotel at the roof of the world"

[CowHorseFrog]

Re: So, landmark year and, for thanks, pay freeze

Theres a big difference, a large minority o rmaybe majority of Americans worship CEOs just like they worship Jesus. In other hands this worship is no where near the same level, most people call them aersholes and other similar words.

[disgruntled yank]

Re: So, landmark year and, for thanks, pay freeze

@CHF

Thank you: you meet or exceed my expectation's for a foreigner's understanding of America and Americans. Usually I expect that the French do this sort of thing best, but I take it from your writing that you are an Anglophone.

[CowHorseFrog]

Re: So, landmark year and, for thanks, pay freeze

Did i say anything that isnt true ?

[jmch]

Re: So, landmark year and, for thanks, pay freeze

The problem isn't capitalism, it's the completely unregulated capitalism that allows near-monopolies, allows companies to divide-and-conquer workers by effectively banning unions, allows zero-hours contracts with minimum wage far below living wage, all driven by financial markets where a comfortable 5-6% return is never enough, it has to be more, more more and faster, faster, faster.

[cje]

Re: So, landmark year and, for thanks, pay freeze

Let's just launch the nukes then and get it over with!

[David Nash]

Re: So, landmark year and, for thanks, pay freeze

yeah, it's not unbridled capitalism vs. North Korea-style communism. It's a continuum not all-or-nothing. That would be a false dichotomy. You can have mostly capitalism with regulation and restriction and socially responsible policies.

You have to give the regulators teeth though.

[Nick Ryan]

Re: So, landmark year and, for thanks, pay freeze

Microsoft shares are currently trading at around US$338 dollars each. Paying a dividend of US$0.67 is not a high yield compared to this.

Where the US$0.67 comes in is those shareholders who hold tens of thousands, or millions of Microsoft shares and have either owned them for a long time or have been given them.

For example, Vanguard Inc are reported to own 630,747,856 Microsoft Shares. There is no way that they paid anything close to US$338 for each one of them, but they are very much benefitting from a payout of US$422m from just this one dividend.

There are a reported 7,430,198,618 Microsoft shares out there. Bill Gates himself has 102,992,934 shares which is still a dividend payout of US$69m.

That kind of money flying around tends to make the shareholder's interests primary and anything else secondary. Providing a good service and value for money only matters if customers have a choice, a serial monopolist such as Microsoft's aim is to ensure that customers don't have a choice: i.e. pay the Microsoft rental fee.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: So, landmark year and, for thanks, pay freeze

Karl Marx had a go, I believe

[ChoHag]

> "I wonder where the profits come from?"

Your wages.

[wigger]

No worse still, its coming from your taxes......

[An_Old_Dog]

What Makes You Think You're Safe?

My college roommate started a software company; he was the president, and he brought in a former boss to be the vice-president. The VP was a very personable fellow, and was able to sell things and get deals done. One day, my roomie described to me how this fellow had, in his previous position, screwed over another company. I asked, "If he'll do it to them, what makes you think he won't do it to you?" No reply.

Nine months later, the personable vice-president converted many company assets to cash, stole as much money from the company as he could, and ran off with it and a secretary. The company went bankrupt.

Knowing how Microsoft screws its customers, why is anyone surprised when Microsoft screws its employees?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: What Makes You Think You're Safe?

Windows 11 especially the bloody Taskbar and start menu is a right pain to use and not considered an upgrade in these parts. If the damn thing wasn’t finished why release it?

Oh that’s right to fund the CEO pay packet.

Did I mention the Taskbar?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: What Makes You Think You're Safe?

Pay peanuts, get co-pilot.

[JimboSmith]

Re: What Makes You Think You're Safe?

Windows 11 especially the bloody Taskbar and start menu is a right pain to use and not considered an upgrade in these parts.

I agree and don’t talk to me about the New “Paint” which speaking for myself is dreadful and I am unanimous in that.

[dgcaste]

This seems like terrible (but unsurprising) behavior, but it’s important to remember anyone can be a shareholder which includes employees. Microsoftites also get compensated with shares. MSFT is trying to get employees to essentially pump up a buyback. At the end of the day I support this approach.

[Woodnag]

anyone can be a shareholder

No. Only those with disposable income.

[Agamemnon]

Re: anyone can be a shareholder

"Disposable Income" and "living in Redmond/Greater Seattle" aren't compatible concepts.

Redmond, no matter how much it's trying to market and build itself as "Urban" is still suburbia and it's spendy as hell.

Housing ($/SqFoot) is about 17% higher than it should be (business space is effing retarded).

My old apartment complex was very spendy and it was like 40% Microsoft Employees. Fun fact about that place... 20% of residents disappeared when Microsoft killed Windows Phone In One Week. It was surreal.

[Marty McFly]

Just to be clear....

Freezing compensation during a high inflation period is the net equivalent of cutting compensation during a low inflation period.

That has got to hurt with Microsoft's home state having the highest gas prices in the nation (https://gasprices.aaa.com/state-gas-price-averages/), as transportation costs affect the prices of everything.

[NeilPost]

Re: Just to be clear....

You should see how much Microsoft UK, Germany, France people pay for petrol/diesel:…

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Just to be clear....

Nothing? Always used to get a free fuel card when I worked for MSFT.

[CowHorseFrog]

Re: Just to be clear....

Heres an idea drive less....and you also get a bonus of more time to do anything better than sitting in a prison called a car.

[Anonymous Coward]

So they have enough money to buy Activision but not enough to pay their employees.

[CowHorseFrog]

Whats the bet some strategicaly placed MIcrosoft leadership or their family etc have bought a lot of Activision, because other than theres no reason to actually buy it at that price.

[Anonymous Coward]

That would be called insider trading… and remains illegal- even in the US.

[Nick Ryan]

...and yet it worked really well for the destruction of Nokia.

[NeilPost]

… or flushing $10bn of Microsoft shareholder value down the toilet.

[RobDog]

Aspiration

‘Just come over here a minute and take a good look at that Ferrari in the car park. Now, if you work hard, put in long hours and show commitment and loyalty to this company, I can have a new one of those next year.’

[JimboSmith]

Re: Aspiration

A note appears on your payslip:

It has come to our attention that you have been working late into the night and coming in quite early. We wanted you to know that this hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Therefore please find a deduction below for the extra heat, light and power you’ve used.

[EricB123]

A Bit of Nostalgia

"Freezings will continue until morale improves."

Nothing like paraphrasing an old classic!

[ecofeco]

Stockholm Syndrome

If I worked for a company that had a profitable year and then said no raises, I would not even give a two weeks notice. I'd stay just long enough to find the next job and then gone without a word.

Turn about is fair play. No holds barred capitalism isn't just for the rich.

Anyone who isn't doing this has Stockholm Syndrome.

Mircosoft is another one of those companies that looks good on your CV, but you do not want to stay there.

[Robert Moore]

Re: Stockholm Syndrome

I agree with everything you sid, except for leaving without notice. Always give notice.

You never know when you might be interviewing for a position with someone who got screwed over by your unexpected exit. Just give your notice and leave, knowing you took the high road.

[ecofeco]

Re: Stockholm Syndrome

Nope. No notice.

You didn't screw over anyone in the last place. They screwed you. That's why you left.

[The Basis of everything is...]

Re: Stockholm Syndrome

If you have a notice period in your employment contract you're taking a huge chance if you quit without notice. Companies can (and do) sue for that and the damages can be very expensive.

Not something to be considered lightly.

[Agamemnon]

Re: Stockholm Syndrome

THIS! This is what I tell interns when I trip over them on the coffee shop or bar.

"Do your year, put it on your resume, and run like hell."

[Anonymous Coward]

The problem in the USA

Corporations the likes of Microsoft get way with this type of obnoxious behaviour because they can.

And they can because their employees let them get away with it.

Don't Microsoft employees have a union to defend their rights?

.

[ryokeken]

Re: The problem in the USA

try googling it

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: The problem in the USA

try googling it

Indeed ...

Being a post at ElReg, I did not think it necessary to say that the question posed was of a rhetorical nature. 8^°

It is a well known fact that in the USA, anti-union practises are a fact of everyone's work life, not to mention employers that actively and openly take measures against union organisers.

.

[s. pam]

Warning: CEO using the words "Family"

Inherently implies layoffs are forthcoming, as we recently went through at Hyland. The use by ANY C-level exec of "we're all family", "family matters", "family time" around the points of a year when financials are being discussed should be a MASSIVE RED FLAG to you to have your CV ready.

[ecofeco]

Re: Warning: CEO using the words "Family"

ANY company that uses the word family is a big red flag. They are telling you they expect shit for free.

[Omnipresent]

Nadella is the most cold hearted, blood thirsty leader microsoft has ever had, but that's what the share holders want. It's not about being useful anymore, it's about money.

This isn't a microsoft problem, and it's not a capitalism problem, it's a tech problem. Capitalism is the fastest way to spread wealth to others, that is why it works. You pay those that help get you where you need to be. The more helpful they are, the more you pay them. That's capitalism. What we have here is a new paradigm shift caused by the tech industry it's self. Technology is no longer useful. It's turned against humanity.

Turn off your "virtual" reality and get back to reality. The internet isn't real, and has been given too much power. It's all an allusion that was built on borrowed capitol they now have to pay back. You've been lied too, and are now controlled by the machine.

[ryokeken]

lacking some historical memory here

"Nadella is the most cold hearted, blood thirsty leader microsoft has ever had, "

never heard of Bill Gates?

[Agamemnon]

"Nadella is the most cold hearted, blood thirsty leader microsoft has ever had,"

Nope. I'm sorry it was Balmer by a Huge margin. He used to cut the "bottom 10%" (with bizarre metrics). I had Rock Star developer friends cut because that "Team" somehow didn't make the grade. Steve shed talent like water of a duck's back... and that's BEFORE any layoff rounds to show up the books for the shareholders. Every year.

[Omnipresent]

Gates was a nerd, who was in the right place@ the right time. He made a fortune by giving it away. Monkey boy was a gorilla in a collared shirt. A joke. This guy is a cold stone killer. Do you see what he is doing? He doesn't just want to own it, he wants to control it. He wants everything you do, say, or think to be under his control, on his personal cloud, controlled by his AI. This guy is an megalomanic.

[disgruntled yank]

It was a very good year

Many years ago, I missed a company holiday party--the company was small, not in the tech business, in fact in an industry that has since fallen on hard times. A co-worker who had attended, quoted the owner's wife: "We had a really good year! That's why we're giving everyone these caps!" (Or maybe they were tee shirts.)

[ecofeco]

Re: It was a very good year

The nicest company Christmas gift I ever got was vacuum cleaner. No joke. (I was working for a home improvement company at the time)

The jokes just write themselves sometimes. (give it a second if you don't get it right away)

[BPontius]

CEO Pay

The CEO's pay could be knocked down $10 - 20 million if the company is hurting so bad. If Microsoft was in bankruptcy the CEO and Board Members would be demanding bonuses, while denying the employees severance pay.

[Anonymous Coward]

Yep, that's about right!

Never met a CEO in my life who hasn't done things like this, my current CEO has said these, "Sorry, no pay rises, no bonuses but hey, thanks for all your hard work and keep it up!", the guy's on £3.5m/yr, so he's alright 'cos the the price rises of food, fuel, etc don't matter! One reason people are leaving and others are looking to leave.

[martinusher]

They're not here to pay people

The stated purpose of an American corporation is to "enhance shareholder value" (and I'd guess the same rules apply in the UK). Shareholder value is enhanced by keeping costs low and revenues high so he's really just doing his job. Part of managing costs is keeping a cap on labor costs -- wages -- since its just like every other business expense. Here, unlike other businesses expenses, there's a balance because labor, unlike other raw materials, has a voice. Unfortunately, that voice talks in terms of 'fairness' as if an employer has a moral obligation to share the wealth with the workforce. That's just not the case, it all revolves around a balance of power between the individual and the employer (which is why you have this pathological hatred of unions, "no expense spared" etc. to keep them away or down).

(The best analogy that I've come across of the employee situation is a farm. Forget the BS that you get from Human Resources -- you have a lot in common with a prize cow. You'll be fed, housed and generally looked after provided you produce. You'll get the same treatment as the cow, right up to the point where a decision is made that you're surplus to requirements. Once you realize this and modify your attitude accordingly you can work within the envelope of the corporation, maybe even enjoying yourself and being hugely productive. Just don't have any delusions about how important you are and how much you mean to your employer.)

[ecofeco]

Re: They're not here to pay people

Your analogy is more than just a comparison. If you are not wealthy, you really are just livestock.

[ryokeken]

Re: They're not here to pay people

agreed, human resources is just the shepherd's dog

[Paul 195]

Re: They're not here to pay people

If CEOs genuinely cared about shareholder value, they wouldn't pay themselves such massive multiples of average worker salary. If we go back 40/50 years, capitalism was managing pretty well on paying Managing Directorss (as CEOs were then known) far smaller multiples of average worker salary. The boss was still richer than you, he had a nicer house and a much better car, but he didn't have a helicopter, a private jet, a yacht, a chief of staff, and several large homes in different parts of the globe.

What's going on right now is greed, pure and simple. And not just at Microsoft, but in most multinational corporations.

[ecofeco]

Re: They're not here to pay people

CEO are often the majority shareholders.

Does it make more sense now?

[ryokeken]

maybe those unions they opposed can help now awwwww

awwwwww, make tons more money than i do, work for a motherfookink' evil company, oppose labor organizing and now you have a rod stuck up your arse? awwwwwww, move to Texas i heard freedom is free there.

awww to the hacker news crowd

[Anonymous Coward]

There is a way still, but …

I’m working in this company and currently just waiting for a “maybe” promotion in Aug/Sep, this is basically the last chance to get a “raise”. There is also a question of a bonus and it is not clear if I’ll even get the “target” value, not to mention a stock refresh. If I get promoted then will stay for another year if not then will just look for other opportunities. If they do it this year there is no guarantee it’ll not happen in 2024 especially if it proves successful from the shareholders point of view.

[IGotOut]

This is the same in most large companies.

Hey , great work, record profits!

AHH but challenging times ahead, so no / tiny pay rises.

.

Following year

Hey , great work, record profits!

AHH but challenging times ahead, so no / tiny pay rises.

.

Following year

Hey , great work, record profits!

AHH but challenging times ahead, so no / tiny pay rises.

[Jeroba]

The Angels Weep

Average salary is nearly 200K per year and these are the victims of capitalism?

[Daniel Pfeffer]

Re: The Angels Weep

That figure is the average of:

CEO - $umpty-ump millions

Peons - $100,000-120,000

Cleaners, etc. - $30,000-50,000

[Jeroba]

Re: The Angels Weep

Salary of 55,000,000 divided by 220,000 employees would be $250 per year.

So no, the 55 million isn't impacting the average salary as you'd imagine, nor would paying the CEO and distributing his entire salary fix anything.

BTW, if we were a socialist society nearly everyone at Microsoft would be making less to match the national average.

[Paul 195]

Let them eat cake

It's always hard to predict societal inflection points. But the barely disguised glee in many quarters over the demise of a group of ultra rich guys (and one unfortunate teenager dragged along against his wishes) in the Titan sub suggests that the billionaire class is not well-liked as a whole. Bloody revolution rarely serves anyone well, but the less people have to lose, the more likely it gets.