Amazon paid out more to Jeff Bezos than its actual CEO in 2024

• Amazon reports reveals former CEO payments
• Current CEO Andy Jassy’s salary was $365,000 in 2024, Bezos’ was $81,840
• The average Amazon wage was $37,000 in 2024

Amazon paid out more to Jeff Bezos than its current CEO, Andy Jassy in 2024, but this doesn’t mean the founder had a higher salary to live off.

In fact, Jassy’s salary amassed to around 4.5x more than Bezos’ - $365,000 compared with $81,840 - but where the two leaders differed was in other allowable expenses and costs.

Bezos had been awarded $1.6 million in security costs in 2024, with the company defending high security expenses due to the former CEO’s low salary and company benefits.

Jeff Bezos continues to cost Amazon millions

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, together with CFO Brian Olsavsky, Amazon Stores CEO Douglas Herrington and Chief Global Affairs & Legal Officer David Zapolsky received $365,000 in salary, a figure unchanged from the year before. AWS CEO Matt Garman received a slightly smaller $358,750 package.

Defending its decision to compensate Jassy a further $1.2 million, plus tens of thousands for other C-suite execs, the company noted: “We believe that all Company-incurred security costs are reasonable and necessary and for the Company’s benefit.”

“The 2024 annual total compensation of our median compensated employee (identified from all full- and part-time permanent and temporary employees worldwide, excluding our CEO) was $37,181,” Amazon also noted.

Other topics covered in the Annual Meeting of Shareholders included the request for alternative emissions reporting, additional reporting on the impact of data centers and climate commitments, and a report on packaging materials.

The board voted against all three requests, noting existing transparency, adherence to protocols and guidelines and work that’s already been done.

Full details of the meeting can be found in Amazon’s Notice of 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders & Proxy Statement.

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