Tesla Shareholder Group Challenges Musk Compensation Award

The controversy over the various compensation packages awarded to Elon Musk by the Tesla board since 2018 took a new turn this week. A shareholder organization called SOC Investment Group has asked NASDAQ — not the Securities and Exchange Commission — to invalidate the latest proposed compensation package on the grounds that it violates the trading platform’s rules designed to protect shareholders of publicly traded companies. READ MORE

Time Abundance: Reclaiming Our Most Precious Resource

In today’s world, time has become a form of currency, perhaps the most valuable of all. We trade it like a commodity. We spend it, we lose it, we chase it. But what if we’ve been playing the wrong game all along? We weren’t born to hustle. We were born to live.

Our current system rewards exhaustion. It applauds overwork. The message is clear: if you want to “make it,” you must sacrifice rest, presence, and sometimes even your sanity. But I refuse to accept that equation. In the Science Economy, we flip the script. We stop asking, “How can I get more done?” and start asking, “How can I live more fully?” READ MORE

Caller Says His Employees Are Unhappy With Their Raises. Dave Ramsey Responds, 'A 2% Raise In A 9% Inflation Economy Is Insulting'

Blake from Lincoln, Nebraska, recently called into Dave Ramsey‘s “EntreLeadership” podcast with a problem many managers face: employees who are frustrated with their raises.

Blake, the controller of a physical security company with about 100 employees, explained their current compensation system: a 2% cost-of-living raise every year, plus up to 3% more based on merit. But the merit side was getting messy. READ MORE

Majority of employers using deferred compensation plans to retain executive talent

A majority of U.S. employers are using non-qualified deferred compensation plans for executive retention (68 per cent) and to support broader financial planning goals such as remaining competitive with peers (53 per cent) and helping participants save for retirement (52 per cent), according to a new survey by NFP Corp.

The survey, which polled more than 250 employers, found nearly nine in ten (87 per cent) said plan members are satisfied with the impact of deferred compensation plans on their retirement preparedness. READ MORE

Meta Slams The Brakes On AI Hiring After Nine-Figure Salary Spree

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) has frozen hiring across its artificial intelligence division after months of aggressive recruiting, according to the Wall Street Journal. The pause began last week, also blocking internal transfers inside the AI group unless approved by Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang.

A Meta spokesperson called the move “basic organizational planning” to build a “solid structure” for its new superintelligence push. READ MORE

Charlie Kirk Didn't Take a Salary for 5 Years—Now His Investment Strategy Reaches Millions Daily

Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA and host of “The Charlie Kirk Show,” has built a financial empire using an unconventional approach that prioritizes reinvestment over salary—and his investment philosophy during market downturns has proven remarkably profitable.

Speaking on the "The Iced Coffee Hour" podcast, Kirk revealed that he invests 75% to 80% of everything he makes, maintaining a highly diversified portfolio that spans private equity, mutual funds, index funds, real estate, and even emerging technologies. His disciplined approach to wealth building offers valuable insights for investors looking to maximize long-term returns. READ MORE

AMD Isn't Keeping Up With Meta Platforms' $100 Million Salaries For AI Talent, And The Reason Is Brilliant

Advanced Micro Devices pays its AI experts well, but it's not following Meta Platforms' footsteps. AMD CEO Lisa Su recently said that the AI chipmaker will not offer $100 million packages to compete with Meta Platforms as they recruit AI talent.

Su mentioned that money is "not necessarily the most important thing when you're attracting talent" in an interview with Wired. While it might sound like AMD is taking the cheap route, the company pays its employees well, and Su's expanded explanation reveals key business lessons. READ MORE

OpenAI may soon be the most valuable private company—but Sam Altman’s net worth won’t jolt, as the CEO holds no equity and makes just $76,001 a year

OpenAI is on the brink of becoming the world’s most valuable private company, anticipated to reach a $500 billion valuation after a $6 billion planned shares sale. But its cofounder and CEO, Sam Altman, won’t be shooting up the billionaire list for the major accomplishment—he currently holds zero equity in the AI company, earning an annual salary of $76,001. Instead, the bulk of his $1.9 billion fortune comes from his early investments in industry titans, including Reddit, Uber, Asana, and Airbnb. 

The AI race is one of the hottest business wars this decade, with the market expected to be worth $4.8 trillion by 2033. And OpenAI has been a front-runner in the fierce battle, with ChatGPT amassing a staggering 800 million active users, according to CEO Sam Altman. READ MORE

Starbucks’ CEO is ditching a merit system and giving all salaried staff a flat 2% pay raise instead

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol is ditching a merit system in favor of a uniform 2% pay raise for all salaried employees in North America this year. The move comes as the coffee chain looks to limit costs while investments are funneled into turnaround efforts. Compensation experts tell Fortune salary slowdowns are common amid economic uncertainty, but the 2% rate lags behind the national average.

Starbucks will provide a flat 2% pay bump to all salaried employees in North America this year as the coffee chain looks to minimize costs as part of CEO Brian Niccol’s turnaround efforts. READ MORE

This Is the ‘Perfect’ Salary in America, According to a New Survey

A new survey says the average American would be happy making $74,000 a year. Not rich, not flashy—just enough to feel stable. But for a lot of people, that number feels out of reach.

The survey, conducted by Talker Research for SurePayroll, found that half of Americans say their current income doesn’t support the life they want. Nearly a quarter say they’re unhappy with what they make, and 35% are already looking for a new job. Another 39% say it’s harder than ever to get hired. READ MORE

NLPC Killing DEI in Executive Pay, But Companies Won’t Let Go

DEI is disappearing as a compensation committee responsibility. In recent years, it became commonplace to see diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) listed among human capital matters overseen by compensation committees. That changed this year. We’ve observed a 76% drop in S&P 500 companies that mention DEI-related terms in descriptions of their compensation committee’s responsibilities. Of those, most have removed the term altogether, though 17% changed it to “inclusion,” indicating a reorientation.

Now today, in a report published by the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, The Conference Board reports that explicit disclosure “of DEI-linked executive pay incentives declined sharply in 2025 amid legal and reputational concerns.” READ MORE

FLSA Overtime Reporting and Withholding

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (the Act), signed on July 4, 2025, allows a deduction from an individual’s personal tax return on Form 1040 for “qualified overtime compensation” as defined in new Code § 225. The amount that can be deducted from the employee’s return is capped at $12,500 with the maximum then adjusted down if the employee’s AGI exceeds certain limits. This deduction is permitted in 2025. READ MORE

More than a third of Americans are actively looking for a new job, but 39% say finding work is harder than ever before.

On average, Americans say $74,000 a year would make them happy, according to new survey from Talker Research. But there’s a disconnect: half of respondents say their current paychecks don’t support the lifestyle they want.

The survey of 2,000 adults, commissioned by SurePayroll By Paychex, describes how traditional employment and evolving goals are pushing people to look for alternatives that boost income and meaning at work. READ MORE

How far a $100,000 salary goes after taxes in every U.S. state

Earning a six-figure salary is a milestone for many workers — but take-home pay can vary by thousands of dollars depending on where you live.

A recent GOBankingRates analysis calculated the annual after-tax income for a single filer earning $100,000 and claiming the standard deduction in every U.S. state. Oregon had the highest tax burden, reducing annual take-home pay to about $70,500. READ MORE

Are You Prepared for Pay Transparency? Most Aren’t.

More than 60 million U.S. workers are now covered by pay transparency laws across 12 states, with another dozen state laws set to take effect later this year. Simultaneously, the European Union (EU) Pay Transparency Directive is driving pay transparency pressure for organizations inside and outside of Europe. (The latter directive applies not only to employers headquartered in the EU but also those with any employees there, with reporting required for businesses with 100 or more payrolled workers.)

With that as the setup, consider that only 19% of organizations surveyed globally consider themselves ready for pay transparency, according to recent data from professional services firm AonOpen in a new tab. READ MORE

CEO Compensation Today: Is It Broken?

We sat down on 20VC + SaaStr podcast with HubSpot co-founder and former CEO Brian Halligan for an unfiltered discussion about CEO compensation. What emerged was a masterclass in why our current approach is fundamentally broken — and what forward-thinking companies are doing differently.

The conversation revealed insights that most compensation committees would rather not discuss publicly. But for companies serious about aligning leadership incentives with exponential growth, these uncomfortable truths are essential. READ MORE