American CEOs are getting paid more than ever

American CEOs are getting paid more than ever, with a record median pay of $16.8 million last year, largely because of big boosts from stock grants, a high-risk, high-return compensation plan with an incentive to meet stock prices. Take Coherent’s CEO James Anderson for example, who topped last year’s list of the highest-paid CEOs with a whopping nine-figure pay package. Some 99% of his pay consisted of stock grants, the value of which multiplied as the shares skyrocketed.