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I worked for a not-for-profit where, 3 years in, we learned the CEO was making as much as everyone else combined for the first year. Guy was also doing minimal

I worked for a not-for-profit where, 3 years in, we learned the CEO was making as much as everyone else combined for the first year. Guy was also doing minimal work. I got fed up with these things. If Khan either open-licenses the platform, or takes a pay cut to $200,000, I'll donate. If he does neither of those, I'm treating this as a 501(c)3-by-technicality only. It's a good for-profit, mind you, but still a for-profit by any definition I (rather than the IRS) would use.

sumedh 7y ago
> takes a pay cut to $200,000, I'll donate. Why $200,000, why not $100,000?
- jessaustin 7y ago
  Not OP, but here's a possibility: In the last month I've spoken with numerous people who earn $200k/yr. I'm not sure I've spoken with someone who earns Khan's salary in the last year. (There is one guy who probably earns that in good years, but I'm not sure the last year has been a "good" one.) That is, regardless of whatever rarefied Silicon Valley filter bubble we're pretending exists here on HN, Khan is not raising money from Silicon Valley. He is raising it from the world, and a very low percentage of humans earn $800k/yr. Granted, however, this is not just a problem with Khan Academy. Many "non-profits" pay their executives unreasonable salaries.
- woofie11 7y ago
  $200k is about the threshold needed to qualify for a mortgage in the area he's living for a comfortable, but not luxurious single-family home. That's also a good baseline for a standard-of-living where all necessities are met, without worrying about them, and where there isn't financial stress. However, it's not enough to get rich. It's also a point where I don't feel like I'm making a significantly greater sacrifice than Khan would if he paid out of his own pocket (in other words, a signal that I care more about the organization than he does). $100k would be okay in the midwest or rural America.
vowelless 7y ago
> takes a pay cut to $200,000 That’s less than new grad money at tech companies. It shows you are not serious about your suggestions
- joppy 7y ago
  What companies hire new grads for $200k?
  - vowelless 7y ago
    Grads get those numbers for FB NY and Google NYC (at least based on what they told our recruiters). levels.fyi seems to corroborate this too: https://www.levels.fyi/salary/Facebook/SE/E3/ https://www.levels.fyi/salary/Facebook/SE/E3/ https://www.levels.fyi/salary/Google/SE/L3/ https://www.levels.fyi/salary/Google/SE/L3/

sumedh 7y ago

> takes a pay cut to $200,000, I'll donate. Why $200,000, why not $100,000?

jessaustin 7y ago
Not OP, but here's a possibility: In the last month I've spoken with numerous people who earn $200k/yr. I'm not sure I've spoken with someone who earns Khan's salary in the last year. (There is one guy who probably earns that in good years, but I'm not sure the last year has been a "good" one.) That is, regardless of whatever rarefied Silicon Valley filter bubble we're pretending exists here on HN, Khan is not raising money from Silicon Valley. He is raising it from the world, and a very low percentage of humans earn $800k/yr. Granted, however, this is not just a problem with Khan Academy. Many "non-profits" pay their executives unreasonable salaries.
woofie11 7y ago
$200k is about the threshold needed to qualify for a mortgage in the area he's living for a comfortable, but not luxurious single-family home. That's also a good baseline for a standard-of-living where all necessities are met, without worrying about them, and where there isn't financial stress. However, it's not enough to get rich. It's also a point where I don't feel like I'm making a significantly greater sacrifice than Khan would if he paid out of his own pocket (in other words, a signal that I care more about the organization than he does). $100k would be okay in the midwest or rural America.

vowelless 7y ago

> takes a pay cut to $200,000 That’s less than new grad money at tech companies. It shows you are not serious about your suggestions

joppy 7y ago
What companies hire new grads for $200k?
- vowelless 7y ago
  Grads get those numbers for FB NY and Google NYC (at least based on what they told our recruiters). levels.fyi seems to corroborate this too: https://www.levels.fyi/salary/Facebook/SE/E3/ https://www.levels.fyi/salary/Facebook/SE/E3/ https://www.levels.fyi/salary/Google/SE/L3/ https://www.levels.fyi/salary/Google/SE/L3/