Oh boy, the ownership society from Bush Jr.
I own 100 stock and are paid 150,000 - coder
I own 1,000,000 stock and are paid 1$ and 150,000 stock - CEO
- CEO: "I am freezing wages"
- Stock goes up 10% Year to Year (say 100->110$)
- inflation was 10%
coder: salary is effectively 135k, ($15k loss), stock went up 1k
CEO: salary is down to 90 cents (10 cent loss), stock went up $10,000,000)
HN commenter who apparently things they are some great economist but quite obviously can't do basic math:
"But everyone gets to own stock!!!"
So to the meat, does the employee have the option to be 100% compensated in stock? NO. The CEO is effectively compensated that way, and LOVES IT because the effective tax rate on long term capital gains is 15%. You know, I would have LOVED to have been compensated in 50% stock or some equivalent with stock options (backdate me pleeeze like the CEO of UHG got to!)
So maybe I'd take your dumb comment at face value if everyone got to participate in the great executive tax fraud, but... we don't.