Despite Microsoft's flaws, its CEO is getting very rich

© Jason Redmond/AFP/Archives Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella speaks at the annual shareholders meeting in Bellevue, Washington, on November 29, 2017.

Despite a year of upheaval, cybersecurity breaches and mass layoffs, the CEO of Microsoft pocketed the modest sum of $79.1 million. One of the biggest compensation packages among the GAFAM, fueled by Microsoft's stock market performance.

Hell is for other people. Satya Nadella's compensation is largely based on shares, inflated by the 30% increase in Microsoft's stock price over the year, itself propelled by innovation around artificial intelligence. With a valuation reaching $3,000 billion, Bill Gates' creation is at the top of the technology giants. By comparison, the salaries of Apple and Nvidia CEOs, while high, are at lower levels: $63.2 million and $34.2 million, respectively, as reported by Siècle Digital. 

All this, even though Microsoft has laid off thousands of employees, particularly in its video game division, and suffered numerous computer breaches over the course of the year. So, although Satya Nadella generously deprived himself of a $10 million bonus to show his share of responsibility, one wonders: to what extent are company executives disconnected from the cogs of the machine, and especially from their employees ?

While investor confidence remains intact for the moment, the company's lack of fairness, respect and loyalty is struggling to stabilize its already damaged brand image. Should the race for innovation erase everything else ?

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