One would expect that the carriers in the United States pay their chief executive officers by performance. By that assumption, the total compensation for Lowell McAdam, Randall Stephenson, Marcelo Claure, and John Legere would be in order of their employers’ position in the market. That, however, is not the case. The total compensation for each CEO really varies because each company has a different set of incentives on top of base salaries.
So who is the highest paid leader among carriers in the United States? Hit the break to find out.
During the fiscal year that ended in March 2015, AT&T Randall Stephenson earned nearly $24 million, easily trumping the competition. Lowell McAdam, Verizon’s CEO, actually came in fourth at $18.3 million. Sprint’s Marcelo Claure and T-Mobile’s John Legere were surprisingly ahead of Lowell with $21.8 million and $18.57 million, respectively. Why is it surprising? Verizon is the nation’s largest carrier, Sprint is constantly getting heat for its network’s quality, and T-Mobile is still rising. It would make sense, in looking at it that way, for Stephenson and McAdam to be the highest paid.
Sprint defended Claure’s total compensation by saying that comparing it to the other CEOs is unfair and that he had several one-time payments when hired.
Here is what the Big Four’s CEOs earned in the last fiscal year:
- Randall Stephenson (AT&T): $23.98 million
- Marcelo Claure (Sprint): $21.8 million
- John Legere (T-Mobile): $18.57 million
- Lowell McAdam (Verizon): $18.3 million
For the current fiscal year, I would expect Legere’s total compensation to see the most change. The carrier is investing a lot in its network and adding customers at a rapid pace. The likelihood of being acquired by an even bigger company will certainly help, too.
Source: FierceWireless
Come comment on this article: Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile’s CEOs are paid…. a lot
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