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In the high-stakes race to dominate artificial intelligence, stock-based compensation (SBC) has emerged as both a weapon and a vulnerability. For tech companies,
SBC is a critical lever to attract and retain elite AI talent, yet its dilutive impact on shareholder value raises urgent questions about long-term sustainability. As the industry grapples with this paradox, investors must weigh the strategic necessity of SBC against its financial costs. READ MORE
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
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
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
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 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, 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
Could you get by on a $50,000 salary in your state?
Based on average yearly expenditures for people making between $50,000 and $69,000, it doesn’t look promising. There isn’t a single state in which $50,000 would completely take care of those expenses. READ MORE
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 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 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
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
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
Microsoft employees are once again turning to crowdsourced spreadsheets to share details of their pay raises, bonuses and stock awards. A spreadsheet viewed by Business Insider has already collected m... READ MORE
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
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
A $100,000 salary, once seen as a sign of tremendous financial success, doesn’t go as far these days. How far it goes varies widely depending on which state you live in. READ MORE
Salaries have surged in recent years, pushing more jobs above the $100,000 threshold.
That’s according to a new analysis by The Business Journals of Bureau of Labor Statistics data that spotlights changes in mean annual income by occupation from 2021 to 2024. READ MORE
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
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
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