It helps to understand the breakdown of how he got to this level of benefit. My guess: it doesn't sound like he just gets a $0.5B payout at close, but instead i

It helps to understand the breakdown of how he got to this level of benefit. My guess: it doesn't sound like he just gets a $0.5B payout at close, but instead its the value of his Aetna holdings after close + his termination contract. To break it down, say he gets option for 300,000 shares at $30/share ($9mm) each year over the last 7 yrs, and the company stock price has gone from $30 to $207 per share, with steep ramp in price at the end of his reign, he is left with 2.1mm shares worth $177 more per share than he paid for them, netting him $370,000,000. His change in control contract is worth $85mm, bringing him to $450mm. Right or wrong, it makes more sense when broken down. Disclaimer: I know very little about whats normal in stock options and executive pay, but a $10mm/yr salary for a man serving as CEO and chairman of a $70B company doesn't seem as far fetched as the $500mm total comp makes it sound