“In recent decades, the average CEO of the largest U.S. company has made around 300 times as much as the median worker…  In 1965, CEOs were paid just 21 times as much as a typical worker.”

[COMMENTARY] This study says that one reason for the vast increase in payouts to company executives compared to the average employee is that shareholders vote with management to increase management payouts!
Excessive Executive Compensation: Investor Guidance, by Matthew Illian and Rosanna Landis Weaver, ICCR & United Church Funds, June 9, 2026, Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, USA.