Although the median pay of CEOs at companies in the Standard & Poor's 1500 index was $5.4 million in fiscal 2015, nine CEOs seem determined to show stakeholders they are in it for more than the paycheck.
Nine S&P 1500 company CEOs brought home compensation packages of less than $50,000 in fiscal 2015 — including three who earned $1 and two who earned nothing for their work, according to a USA TODAY analysis.
These CEOs do still hold shares of their companies, which can be a potential source of income. For example, Lawrence Page, Alphabet's CEO, brought home a $1 paycheck in fiscal 2015, but he owns 42 million shares of the company's stock, which rose 50 percent last year, according to USA TODAY. However, for Kosta Kartsotis, CEO of watch and accessory company Fossil, this was less of a boon and more of a burden. Mr. Kartsotis, who earned nothing in fiscal 2015, saw his 6 million shares lose two-thirds of their value last year, according to USA TODAY.
Here the nine lowest earning CEOs of companies on the S&P 1500 ranked by compensation, according to USA TODAY.
1. Kosta Kartsotis, Fossil Group — $0
2. David Liniger, RE/MAX — $0
3. John Mackey, Whole Foods — $1
4. James Truchard, National Instruments — $1
5. Lawrence Page, Alphabet — $1
6. Clarence Werner, Werner Enterprises — $12,250
7. Jayson Adair, Copart — $18,001
8. Strauss Zelnick, Take-Two Interactive — $20,914
9. Richard Hayne, Urban Outfitters — $44,310
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