Amazon still pays Jeff Bezos $80k salary plus $1.6M security costs
Original: Amazon is still paying Jeff Bezos an $80,000 yearly salary—but $1.6 million for travel and security
Why This Matters
Highlights unique executive compensation model tying wealth to equity ownership rather than salary
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos continues receiving his $81,400 annual salary unchanged since 1998, while company spent $1.6 million on his security and travel in 2025. Despite $254 billion net worth, Bezos maintains low salary as executive chairman.
Amazon's 2026 proxy filing reveals Jeff Bezos still earns his $81,400 salary set in 1998, unchanged for over 25 years. The world's third-richest person worth $254 billion requested no additional compensation during his CEO tenure. His salary, once double the 1998 median, now exceeds it by only 16%. Bezos owns 8% of Amazon worth approximately $225 billion. Current CEO Andy Jassy earns $365,000 base salary with stock compensation. Amazon spent $1.6 million on Bezos's security and business travel as executive chairman, which the company calls reasonable given his low salary and lack of stock grants.