Monday, April 24, 2006
Amazon chief's 2005 salary remains unchanged at $81,840
WASHINGTON -- Amazon.com Inc.'s top executive took home $81,840 in salary last year, unchanged from recent years, according to a regulatory filing Thursday.
Chief Executive Jeffrey P. Bezos - who is worth $4.3 billion, according to Forbes magazine - asked as he has in past years not to receive additional compensation in 2005, according to the Internet retailer's proxy statement. The CEO "has never received annual cash compensation in excess of his current amount or any stock-based compensation from the company," the filing said.
Bezos made the request because of his substantial ownership position in the Seattle-based company, which is about 24 percent, the filing said. Bezos ranked No. 147 on Forbes' most recent list of the world's billionaires.
For 2005, the company said it spent $1.1 million for security for its top executive. Amazon believes that all company-incurred security costs are for its benefit, the filing said.
Amazon, which had 2005 revenue of $8.5 billion, saw its stock climb from about $45 a share in January 2005 to about $48 a share by the end of the year. This year it has seen its stock drop sharply; Thursday, its shares slipped 55 cents, or 1.5 percent, to close at $36.34 on the Nasdaq Stock Market.
source:http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420AP_Amazon_CEO_Pay.html
