CEOs are a good example. I like that you made a distinction between large and extremely profitable companies, because large companies often still pay their CEO

CEOs are a good example. I like that you made a distinction between large and extremely profitable companies, because large companies often still pay their CEOs extreme salaries even when performance falters. Case in point, Robert Nardelli at Home Depot made $123.7 million, excluding stock option grants, over 5 years from 2002 to 2007, while the company's stock price faltered. He was essentially fired and still got a severance package of $210 million. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Home_Depot http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Home_Depot) Dick Grasso is another that comes to mind.