It’s no secret that executives at some of the world’s top companies are paid huge sums. Many corporate leaders have an annual salary that dwarfs what the vast majority of us earn, with further awards for performance and so on take their compensation to eye-watering levels.
There are, of course, people complaining about the millions that top executives receive, including CtW Investment Group. Founded back in 2006, this organisation advises several union pension funds in the US and has adopted the mission of holding companies accountable for unethical behaviour. In recent years, CtW has taken on the likes of Uber and McDonald’s over executive compensation, and Amazon over issues about the safety of its employees.
But now the games industry is squarely in its crosshairs. In June, CtW wrote to Activision Blizzard shareholders urging them to vote against its Say-on-Pay proposal. This is where investors are polled at a company’s annual meeting on whether they approve of how much a company plans to compensate its executives. A similar letter was sent to Electronic Arts’ shareholders earlier this month.