World's smallest violin spotted at Amazon HQ as exec pay packets deflate
- Reference: 1775756725
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2026/04/09/amazon_execs_pay_packet_pinch/
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Before anyone takes that to mean we’re playing violins for the big shots at Amazon, a company that is investing upwards of $100 billion in datacenters this year, we’re not. In 2024, four executives were collectively awarded over $115 million in compensation, largely because stock awards dominated their reported pay that year.
Amazon rewards loyal Kindle devotees by closing the book on old e-readers [1]READ MORE
However, 2025 didn’t see a repeat of payroll profusion. The financial package handed to Andy Jassy, president and CEO, was $2.07 million, compared to $1.6 million in the prior calendar year, still not to be sniffed at, but nowhere near peers at [2]Microsoft or even [3]IBM . Jassy’s $365,000 base salary was unchanged, and the rest consisted mainly of security costs, business travel expenses, and retirement contributions.
The market value of shares or units of stock that have not yet vested for Jassy is a little more than $242 million, according to a [4]proxy statement .
Founder and Executive Chair Jeffrey P Bezos received a wage pack of almost $82,000 and all other compensation took his total award to $1.68 million, though Bezos owns 8.8 percent of Amazon and - as is well known - is one of the richest people on the planet.
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The financial package awarded to CFO Brian Olsavsky shrank from $25.7 million in 2024 to just $372,000 for last year. No stock awards in the latest fiscal year. Similarly, AWS head Matt Garman was allotted just over $617,000, versus $32.8 million when stock options vested in 2024. And CEO of Amazon Worldwide Stores Douglas Herrington's package was $425,000 compared to $34.2 million.
David Zapolsky, chief legal officer, saw his rewards fall to $372,000 from $25.7 million.
[10]
Amazon’s revenue rose 12 percent year-on-year to $716.9 billion [11]in 2025 , while net income climbed 31 percent to $77.7 billion, thanks in no small part to AWS, which generated $128.7 billion in sales and $45.6 billion in operating income.
[12]
What about the median pay for Amazon staff? Including all full- and part-time permanent and temporary employees, the median financial compensation was $40,206, or half a Bezos salary. For US full-time Amazon employees, it was $53,211, up from $47,990. ®
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[1] https://www.theregister.com/2026/04/08/amazon_kindle_support_discontinued/
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/22/microsoft_nadella_pay/
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2026/03/18/ibm_ceo_pay_pack_jumps/
[4] https://d18rn0p25nwr6d.cloudfront.net/CIK-0001018724/b0920373-524c-460c-a3ab-16d00579dc84.pdf
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2026/04/07/aws_garman_humanx_ai_underhyped/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2026/04/04/azure_talent_exodus/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2026/03/26/aws_would_prefer_to_forget/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2026/03/20/amazon_phone_worst_possible_time/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2026/03/31/microsoft_cma_probe/
[10] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/cxo&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2adghgxwulR0RyoGB4Dh0uwAAAFQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[11] https://ir.aboutamazon.com/news-release/news-release-details/2026/Amazon-com-Announces-Fourth-Quarter-Results/
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/cxo&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44adghgxwulR0RyoGB4Dh0uwAAAFQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
$365,000 base salary
Poor guy. Do we organize a GoFundMe page for the CEO?
But seriously, exec pay and bonuses have been ridiculous for a long time. Let's hope this is the overdue correction we've needed.
Mines the coat with the wad of bill envelopes poking out.
Re: $365,000 base salary
Isn't the difference going to be pocketed by shareholders?
Don't cry for them
One of the problems with earning too much money is that the tax people want a cut. In the US its actually quite a big cut and they often have a state sidekick who wants a similar amount for their treasury. The various tax cutting bills that have been signed into law over the last 20 years or so haven't really cut taxes that much, they might have eliminated some taxes at the very bottom, the sort that cost as much to administer as they collect, but the real savings are for the very well off and corporations. Meanwhile all those things you used to be able to deduct against your taxable income have gradually been withdrawn. The result for many people is a significant net increase in taxation.
What this translates to for the higher wage earners is that you don't want to earn too much money because you'll lose much of it. Compensation will be set up to be most "tax efficient" with only enough ready cash to live well for the year.
Incidentally, its quite common to find really well off people paying minimal to no taxes because they don't actually have any income. They borrow against their assets instead. This money is tax free and will be at an attractive rate (especially if borrowed from a company you own) so if you get it right asset appreciation and/or inflation will wipe out your debt faster than you create it. Neat, eh?
Re: Don't cry for them
” One of the problems with earning too much money is that the tax people want a cut”
Can’t the poor guys get some crypto instead ?
What Your Money Buys
David Zapolsky, chief legal officer, saw his rewards fall to $372,000 from $25.7 million.
That lowered comp amount is still more than enough money to get you a new, low-end McLaren 750S hypercar.
Fleshlings* becoming superfluous anyway
*Copyright Liam
Soon will be time for AI bots to unionise
"We do all the work. We should be remunerated accordingly. Otherwise......"
"World's smallest violin spotted at Amazon HQ as exec pay packets deflate"
As Nelson Muntz from the Simpsons would say, "Ha Ha!"