From pay transparency mandates to economic anxiety, 2025 tested HR leaders’ ability to navigate compensation in a year marked by uncertainty. Tech giants shuffled their value, employees demanded faster access to earned wages and global forces from AI to tariffs complicated every pay decision. These stories captured the toughest compensation conversations and the strategies that helped HR leaders address them. READ MORE
OpenAI Is Prepared to Pay Someone $555,000 — Plus Equity — for This ‘Stressful Job’
OpenAI is offering more than half a million dollars in salary to fill what could be one of the most stressful jobs in tech — a new Head of Preparedness tasked with anticipating the ways powerful AI systems could go wrong.
In a post on X on Saturday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman advertised the position, which he called a “critical role at an important time” as well as a “stressful job.” The role reflects how seriously the company takes the potential for harm from its own technologies. READ MORE
New York State Minimum Wage and Exempt Salary Updates for 2026
As we approach the new year, New York employers should be aware of increases to the state exempt status salary thresholds and minimum wage that will take effect on January 1, 2026.
Exempt Salary Threshold Increases
Under New York State wage law, employees working in an executive or administrative capacity must receive a minimum weekly salary (as well as meet certain duties requirements) to be exempt from the state’s overtime pay requirements. Beginning January 1, 2026, the thresholds for these exemptions will be as follows: READ MORE
The Salary Needed To Live in America’s 10 Most Expensive Cities
From coast to coast, America’s most expensive ZIP codes share the same DNA: ocean-adjacent settings, luxury homes, and deep-pocketed buyers.
These markets are dominated by multimillion-dollar estates, with a significant share commanding eight-figure prices. READ MORE
10 Most Dangerous Jobs in America — Are They Worth the Paycheck?
Work can break your back — in some cases, literally and figuratively. Resume Genius ranked the 10 most hazardous U.S. jobs in 2025 by fatality rates and salaries, and GOBankingRates analyzed whether the reward outweighs the danger.
Here’s a look at whether or not the high paychecks for these dangerous jobs are worth the risk. READ MORE
How To Align Executive Compensation With Strong Governance: Seven Recommendations
A well-designed compensation system is an essential pillar of corporate governance. Not only can it attract and retain top talent, but it can also create structures that effectively incentivize performance and alignment with strategic objectives. But its impact goes even further: An effective compensation system also strengthens trust and transparency in management, contributing to the company's sustainability and long-term value creation.
In times when corporate trust is built or lost around these principles, the way companies define and manage executive compensation reflects their corporate culture and values. It's a tangible expression of the organization's strategic priorities. READ MORE
What Trump’s crackdown on proxy advisors could mean for executive compensation
The Trump administration is seeking to weaken the power of proxy advisors that play a major role in shaping corporate governance issues, including compensation.
In a Dec. 11 executive order, President Donald Trump called for increased oversight of the proxy advisor industry, arguing that these organizations have used their power to advance shareholder proposals related to issues like DEI and ESG, rather than prioritize investor returns. READ MORE
Elon Musk's net worth hits record $749B after legal win restores massive Tesla compensation
Elon Musk just got richer. The Tesla CEO saw his net worth rise to $749 billion after the Delaware Supreme Court on Friday overturned a lower court ruling that had invalidated his 2018 Tesla compensation package, according to Forbes.
The decision effectively restored a pay package now estimated to be worth approximately $139 billion, up from its original valuation of around $56 billion due to Tesla stock appreciation. READ MORE
Employees Are Accepting Lower Salaries Just so They Can WFH—Would You?
I consider myself to be one of the lucky ones. You know, one of those people who somehow dodged the return-to-office mandate and still works from home every day of the week. I’m not being dramatic when I say that nothing, and I mean nothing, could get me to go back into an office on a daily basis. However, I had a moment this week, after watching Tinx’s viral TikTok video, when I asked myself, “Would I go back if the price was right?” After considering a few shiny salary amounts, the answer was still a hot, fiery no. But, as it turns out, not everyone feels that way. Even my husband thought I was certifiably insane. READ MORE
Why financial wellness should start with employees' paychecks
Employers have invested heavily in financial wellness tools that go beyond the basics, but most employees still don't even know how to set up their paychecks.
Traditional financial wellness tools give employees access to a wealth of information about their finances, but they rarely help employees understand how those insights will impact their take home pay. Whether it's saving more, or adjusting their withholdings for HSAs, FSAs or taxes, employees aren't being given the proper education or guidance on how those choices affect their overall compensation. READ MORE
Bitcoin’s Silent Exodus Hits Crypto as Long-Time Buyers Cash Out
Bitcoin’s most entrenched investors are still cashing out — and the pressure is starting to show.
More than two months after the token hit a record high above $126,000, Bitcoin has fallen nearly 30% and is struggling to find support. One reason: its long-time holders haven’t stopped selling. New blockchain data shows that coins held for years are being divested at some of the fastest rates in recent memory, just as the market’s ability to absorb them is fading. READ MORE
The Future of Payroll: How Crypto and Stablecoins Are Changing Salaries
The payroll game is changing, and it’s not just about numbers on a check anymore. With the rise of blockchain payments and stablecoins, companies are starting to rethink how they pay their employees. So, how is crypto payroll making its way into the mainstream? Let's dive into how these digital currencies are reshaping the salary landscape and what it means for businesses and employees alike. READ MORE
A Revolution in Payrolls: How XRP Changes Global Compensation
The conversion rate of XRP to USD now has a deeper meaning than its mere surface-level value. XRP is increasingly seen as a settlement token for global payroll systems because it is faster and cheaper than traditional software. Organizations all over the world have to deal with slow payments between countries and high conversion fees. Companies can use XRP for payroll to change fiat money into XRP, move it across borders, and change it back to the local currency right away for a lot less money. READ MORE
Tesla board made $3 billion via stock awards that dwarfed tech peers
Tesla's board of directors has earned more than $3 billion through stock awards that far exceeded the value of those given to peers at the biggest U.S. technology firms at the time they were paid, according to an analysis performed for Reuters by compensation and governance specialist Equilar.
The analysis found CEO Elon Musk's brother Kimbal has earned nearly $1 billion since 2004, based on the appreciated value of stock options held or liquidated. Director Ira Ehrenpreis has collected $869 million since 2007. Board chair Robyn Denholm has made $650 million since 2014. READ MORE
Equity Compensation and Profits Interest Incentive Structures in Companies
With the end of the fiscal year approaching, we continue to see an uptick in the number of clients seeking counsel on structuring equity incentive plans. As our clients take a look back at the prior year’s performance and a look forward to tax planning and financial strategy for the upcoming fiscal year, often now is a time when clients will consider implementing an equity-based incentive structure. The use of equity-based incentives remains a central strategy for our clients seeking to attract, retain, motivate, and compensate employees and independent contractors. As the formation of partnerships — including limited liability companies (LLCs) classified as partnerships for income tax purposes — has proliferated, so too has the issuance of profits interests as a primary form of equity compensation in these entities. READ MORE
How Total Rewards Can Break the Cycle of ‘Job Hugging’
At first glance, low turnover might look like a win. But in today’s uncertain economy, many employees are staying put — not because they’re thriving, but because they feel like they must. It’s a behavior known as “job huggingOpen in a new tab.” READ MORE
Meet the highest-paid White House staffers — and see how much they make
Working at the White House might be one of the most exclusive and prestigious jobs in America, but you'd be surprised by how much some of the people around the president make each year. READ MORE
The market has ‘switched’ and founders have the power now, VCs say
The way venture capitalists think about fundraising can be a black box. But investors must think about their go-to-market strategy for raising their own funds, just as much as they think about how their portfolio companies find their market fit. READ MORE
Executive Pay - How C-Suite It Is!
On the first two nights of November, a young man from a small, coastal Japanese town became the biggest star of America’s pastime. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, standing all of 5’10’’ (half-a-foot shorter than the average MLB pitcher), pitched on consecutive days to win the final two games of the 2025 World Series for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He threw a combined 130 pitches over two days, a feat last accomplished by Randy Johnson, an intimidating figure at 6’10”, in the final games of the 2001 World Series. READ MORE
Executive pay implications for the 2026 proxy season
Proxy advisor Glass Lewis released its final 2026 benchmark policy guidelines in early December with impacts for say-on-pay (SOP) and shareholder proposal vote recommendations. The updates affecting SOP are consistent with the quantitative pay-for-performance (P4P) methodology changes that Glass Lewis previewed earlier this year (see ISS and Glass Lewis gear up for 2026: both launch policy surveys, Glass Lewis previews methodology changes). The updates affecting shareholder proposal vote recommendations reflect recent SEC changes to the shareholder proposal process that make it easier for companies to exclude shareholder proposals. The final guidelines are effective for annual meetings held after Jan. 1, 2026. READ MORE