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Try arguing with less snark. Every comment like yours attacks the strawman that the CEO and employees should not get paid. Nobody is saying that. But I'm absol

Try arguing with less snark. Every comment like yours attacks the strawman that the CEO and employees should not get paid. Nobody is saying that. But I'm absolutely not going to donate anything while the CEO takes out over 800000 dollars in pay, and it looks distasteful to me to go around begging for donations.

dmayle 7y ago
Thank you. This is exactly what I meant, as well.
kharak 7y ago
I hold the position represented by Dan Palotta in this Ted Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pallotta_the_way_we_think_about_charity_is_dead_wrong https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pallotta_the_way_we_think_abou... There is nothing distasteful about non-profit CEOs wanting high pay. We're speaking about the founder of something that has and is helping millions of people around the world with arguably one of the most difficult and important educational needs. Khan Academy wouldn't be here without Khan himself and the world would be lesser for it. I see absolutely no reason why the CEO of such an organizations shouldn't paid in the same manner as for-profits. I'm snarky, because the implied notion of "people doing good instead of chasing profits don't deserve the same pay/good life" is nothing short of crazy to me.
- dirtydroog 7y ago
  There is something distasteful about them wanting high pay and extra donations to cover an unseen expense.
  - kharak 7y ago
    And you know already that Khan is going to take the same salary this year? This is just rationalization, be honest with yourself, you simply dislike the idea of Khan getting this much for himself, no matter what.
  - lern_too_spel 6y ago
    $800k is an experienced engineer's salary where Khan Academy is based.
    - dirtydroog 6y ago
      Lol, what
      - lern_too_spel 6y ago
        Khan Academy is based in Mountain View. There are plenty of engineers getting that annual compensation at Facebook/Google/Netflix.
cosmodisk 7y ago
What do you think his salary should be that you'd feel comfortable to make a donation?
- JensRex 7y ago
  Significantly less. This feels like somebody setting up a GoFundMe to pay off their credit card debt. They paid their CEO an absurd salary, and now they need more money. That sounds like a you-problem.
  - lotsofpulp 7y ago
    “They” would be fine getting even higher pay elsewhere working for private interests. The losers would be the general public who benefit from the education.
  - bbrree66 7y ago
    This is not even close to the same thing. If you don't want to donate, then don't. But this is a red herring. What you should be thinking about is the value he provides, not the absolute amount he is paid. The net positive effect of him running it and getting paid $800k is much higher than someone else who can't run things as well getting paid $100k. The goal is to maximize the output of the non-profit, not to keep salaries low. What you should care about is ROI on your dollars donated.
    - wegs 7y ago
      I think it's a false statement to say someone less expensive will run things less well. I've been at a number of not-for-profits, and that does not match my experience at all. Compensation should be set at a level where people don't need to worry about money, with a reasonable but basic standard of living. In the Bay, unfortunately, that's around $200k. On the other hand, compensation should not be set at a level where people are there for the money. You want people to be there because they are passionate and care. $200 will bring people just as competent as $800k, but (1) your burn rate is lower (2) people are there for the mission (3) you can ask for donations in good faith. Depending on part of the country, you can step that down significantly, in turn. If you do want to invest extra money on people, a better place to spend that is stability and benefits (in the way universities do). I'd gladly take a job for $200k with a lifetime guarantee of doing meaningful work over one at $800k without that guarantee. I actually think a lot of the bad decisions by Khan Academy are related to misaligned incentive structures. Khan tries to keep a pretty deep moat protecting business models. The platform isn't open source. Partnerships are hard to come by. Research partnerships are exceptionally difficult (Khan data is a proprietary resources). There's a cult personality. Etc.
lern_too_spel 6y ago
> it looks distasteful to me to go around begging for donations. Where do you think the money comes from to run the organization? They don't monetize their users. Asking for donations is a significant part of Sal Khan's job.

dmayle 7y ago

Thank you. This is exactly what I meant, as well.

kharak 7y ago

I hold the position represented by Dan Palotta in this Ted Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pallotta_the_way_we_think_about_charity_is_dead_wrong https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pallotta_the_way_we_think_abou... There is nothing distasteful about non-profit CEOs wanting high pay. We're speaking about the founder of something that has and is helping millions of people around the world with arguably one of the most difficult and important educational needs. Khan Academy wouldn't be here without Khan himself and the world would be lesser for it. I see absolutely no reason why the CEO of such an organizations shouldn't paid in the same manner as for-profits. I'm snarky, because the implied notion of "people doing good instead of chasing profits don't deserve the same pay/good life" is nothing short of crazy to me.

dirtydroog 7y ago
There is something distasteful about them wanting high pay and extra donations to cover an unseen expense.
- kharak 7y ago
  And you know already that Khan is going to take the same salary this year? This is just rationalization, be honest with yourself, you simply dislike the idea of Khan getting this much for himself, no matter what.
- lern_too_spel 6y ago
  $800k is an experienced engineer's salary where Khan Academy is based.
  - dirtydroog 6y ago
    Lol, what
    - lern_too_spel 6y ago
      Khan Academy is based in Mountain View. There are plenty of engineers getting that annual compensation at Facebook/Google/Netflix.

cosmodisk 7y ago

What do you think his salary should be that you'd feel comfortable to make a donation?

JensRex 7y ago
Significantly less. This feels like somebody setting up a GoFundMe to pay off their credit card debt. They paid their CEO an absurd salary, and now they need more money. That sounds like a you-problem.
- lotsofpulp 7y ago
  “They” would be fine getting even higher pay elsewhere working for private interests. The losers would be the general public who benefit from the education.
- bbrree66 7y ago
  This is not even close to the same thing. If you don't want to donate, then don't. But this is a red herring. What you should be thinking about is the value he provides, not the absolute amount he is paid. The net positive effect of him running it and getting paid $800k is much higher than someone else who can't run things as well getting paid $100k. The goal is to maximize the output of the non-profit, not to keep salaries low. What you should care about is ROI on your dollars donated.
  - wegs 7y ago
    I think it's a false statement to say someone less expensive will run things less well. I've been at a number of not-for-profits, and that does not match my experience at all. Compensation should be set at a level where people don't need to worry about money, with a reasonable but basic standard of living. In the Bay, unfortunately, that's around $200k. On the other hand, compensation should not be set at a level where people are there for the money. You want people to be there because they are passionate and care. $200 will bring people just as competent as $800k, but (1) your burn rate is lower (2) people are there for the mission (3) you can ask for donations in good faith. Depending on part of the country, you can step that down significantly, in turn. If you do want to invest extra money on people, a better place to spend that is stability and benefits (in the way universities do). I'd gladly take a job for $200k with a lifetime guarantee of doing meaningful work over one at $800k without that guarantee. I actually think a lot of the bad decisions by Khan Academy are related to misaligned incentive structures. Khan tries to keep a pretty deep moat protecting business models. The platform isn't open source. Partnerships are hard to come by. Research partnerships are exceptionally difficult (Khan data is a proprietary resources). There's a cult personality. Etc.

lern_too_spel 6y ago

> it looks distasteful to me to go around begging for donations. Where do you think the money comes from to run the organization? They don't monetize their users. Asking for donations is a significant part of Sal Khan's job.