Seattle CEO cuts own salary by 90% to pay every worker at least $70,000

CREATIVE!11 · 21 Apr 2015 at 22:43

Not sure if there was a thread on this, but I saw this in a trews episode today and looked it up

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...pay-every-worker-at-least-70000-10177261.html

Now looking at this on the surface I think well he seems like a damn cool guy to work for, he realised some of his staff didn't really have a living wage so he decided to do something radical and redistribute his quite large salary to pay his workers a better wage. Quite egalitarian.

Now forget your judgements about Russell brand for 1 second, seriously drop it now and just listen to the points he's making and see what the news people say about it.

Now am I the only one who is confused how everyone is basically attacking this guy for trying to be a good person? I don't understand.... what is wrong with people. He's trying something different in response to the times that we face and he gets crucified.

Thoughts?

McBain · 21 Apr 2015 at 23:04

Sorry, I had to stop reading at Russell Brand, have no interest in hearing what he has to say. Yes, I know you said drop the judgements, but that's impossible i'm afraid.

As for Dan Price, he's probably already loaded so no skin off his nose.

Mynight · 21 Apr 2015 at 23:06

Damn good advertising. I'm sure he's earning well from dividends as well so salary isn't hugely important.

spoffle · 21 Apr 2015 at 23:09

McBain said:
Sorry, I had to stop reading at Russell Brand, have no interest in hearing what he has to say. Yes, I know you said drop the judgements, but that's impossible i'm afraid.

As for Dan Price, he's probably already loaded so no skin off his nose.

Dat genetic fallacy though.

McBain · 21 Apr 2015 at 23:11

spoffle said:
Dat genetic fallacy though.

Quite.

CREATIVE!11 · 21 Apr 2015 at 23:16

McBain said:
Sorry, I had to stop reading at Russell Brand, have no interest in hearing what he has to say. Yes, I know you said drop the judgements, but that's impossible i'm afraid.

As for Dan Price, he's probably already loaded so no skin off his nose.

Oh that's OK then, let's just forget what he's done for his employees because well he's loaded anyway. He's not the first to try this, there was another guy who owned a bread factory and did the same thing. Sure google could turn up the story.

He didn't get much publicity out of it, but i'm sure his gesture was also entirely selfish.

McBain · 21 Apr 2015 at 23:17

CREATIVE!11 said:
Oh that's OK then, let's just forget what he's done for his employees because well he's loaded anyway.

Well, let's have it right, he wouldn't be doing it for the good of his employees if he wasn't already loaded. I say fair play to him, but he's hardly the second coming.

I'm not ****ging the guy, but i'm also not going to bend the knee to him over it.

Judgeneo · 21 Apr 2015 at 23:21

It will be interesting to see how this turns out

Slime · 21 Apr 2015 at 23:24

Judgeneo said:
It will be interesting to see how this turns out

The thread or the news story (or both)?

delta0 · 21 Apr 2015 at 23:25

If you got paid the same as the CEO or even just your senior then where would the incentive to work hard, get promoted and handle greater responsibility come from?

estebanrey · 21 Apr 2015 at 23:27

I wonder how often Brand insists his royalty checks are equally split amongst the cameramen and runners on the shows he goes on.

CREATIVE!11 · 21 Apr 2015 at 23:29

estebanrey said:
I wonder how often Brand insists his royalty checks are equally split amongst the cameramen and runner on his show.

"when I was poor they called me bitter, now that I'm rich they call me a hypocrite"

Seems you can't win, a ceo decides to redress the current inequality that exists in his company and he is shamed for doing so and called an idiot. Despite it being clear the world cannot go on in the current direction going by the wealth divide that has grown exponentially in the last 100 years. Greed and capitalism will destroy this planet, it's already succeeding.

Maybe when it's too late will people be open to alternatives? it seems anything that questions the current status quo is shot down.

Is there anything wrong with a ceo collecting a bigger paycheque etc as someone said above? no of course not same as a business owner who started his company that's hard graft there should surely be some incentive to work harder. But is there a certain level where it just gets too much? especially if your staff are living on $7 an hour?

Judgeneo · 21 Apr 2015 at 23:30

Slime said:
The thread or the news story (or both)?

The story mainly.

I grinded my teeth and watched the first few minutes of the Russell Brand video, and its basically him laughing at fox news and calling capitalism the modern Mongolian Khanate...

delta0 said:
If you got paid the same as the CEO or even just your senior then where would the incentive to work hard, get promoted and handle greater responsibility come from?

I think that some people will be paid greater than $70k, but the variation in salaries will certainly be a great deal less. Thats what I'll find interesting, as on the surface that doesn't gel well with American culture.

Deleted member 66701 · 21 Apr 2015 at 23:30

delta0 said:
If you got paid the same as the CEO or even just your senior then where would the incentive to work hard, get promoted and handle greater responsibility come from?

Did you not read the article - i.e. more money = increased happiness = increased satisfaction = increased productivity = increased loyalty and so on?

Not everyone (very few actually) responds to the carrot and stick management approach that blights a lot of companies.

estebanrey · 21 Apr 2015 at 23:36

CREATIVE!11 said:
"when I was poor they called me bitter, now that I'm rich they call me a hypocrite"

Seems you can't win, a ceo decides to redress the current inequality that exists in his company and he is shamed for doing so and called an idiot. Despite it being clear the world cannot go on in the current direction going by the wealth divide growing exponentially in the last 100 years. Greed and capitalism will destroy this planet, it's already succeeding.

Maybe when it's too late will people be open to alternatives? it seems anything that questions the current status quo is shot down.

Don't get it twisted, I applaud the CEO and I think wealth inequality is a massive problem.

I'm simply making the point that Brand sits there in his multi-million pound London apartment waxing lyrical about how great this guy is despite not following his example.

Why does Brand have an agent? Partly to look for work but also to extract the maximum return for his client for that work, and every extra penny his agent gets is one taken from the crews that make the product he is involved in.

Brand is apparently worth $15m, show me a cameraman or runner that is worth $1m.

mmj_uk · 21 Apr 2015 at 23:39

Governments should have enforced this long ago or taxed them aggressively, pay at the top has gone up many multiples compared to a few decades ago whereas all of those at the bottom are no better off.

CREATIVE!11 · 21 Apr 2015 at 23:42

estebanrey said:
Don't get it twisted, I applaud the CEO and I think wealth inequality is a massive problem.

I'm simply making the point that Brand sits there in his multi-million pound London apartment waxing lyrical about how great this guy is despite not following his example.

Why does Brand have an agent? Partly to look for work but also to extract the maximum return for his client for that work, and every extra penny his agent gets is one taken from the crews that make the product he is involved in.

Brand is apparently worth $15m, show me a cameraman or runner that is worth $1m.

Actually last few bits of work he was involved in all the proceeds went to charity, his book revolution to name one there are more. Brand also had the chance to take half of katy perrys 44 million dollar earnings she made whilst they were together.

Would you turn down 22 million? could have doubled his net worth if he was so concerned about cash.

That and instead of making stupid trews videos he could just go back to acting, but he explains why he didn't in his book all in depth.

estebanrey · 21 Apr 2015 at 23:43

mmj_uk said:
Governments should have enforced this long ago or taxed them aggressively, pay at the top has gone up many multiples compared to a few decades ago whereas all of those at the bottom are no better off.

Sadly there is an ingrained ideology in the business world that those at the bottom perform best with the stick of having their jobs threatened whilst those at the top need the carrot of massive bonuses to get "the best people".

CREATIVE!11 · 21 Apr 2015 at 23:46

Judgeneo said:
I grinded my teeth and watched the first few minutes of the Russell Brand video, and its basically him laughing at fox news and calling capitalism the modern Mongolian Khanate...

Sort of fitting metaphor though really, capitalism presses on without any regard for the human or environmental cost mainly in pursuit of more and more profit. Mongols raped/pillaged, well that's kind of happening now at least on an environmental level (If thats the correct way of putting it).

delta0 · 21 Apr 2015 at 23:54

amigafan2003 said:
Did you not read the article - i.e. more money = increased happiness = increased satisfaction = increased productivity = increased loyalty and so on?

Not everyone (very few actually) responds to the carrot and stick management approach that blights a lot of companies.

I've read it before. I think that will be short lived as the company tries to grow and has a greater range of people from young grads and upwards. If everyone is generally at the same level it works, but this isn't the case at most companies.

Seattle CEO cuts own salary by 90% to pay every worker at least $70,000

Deleted member 66701

Deleted member 66701