I’m not playing devil’s advocate, as I think the pay is indefensible. But I think the reason for the gap is that C-level executive salaries are public info. So,

I’m not playing devil’s advocate, as I think the pay is indefensible. But I think the reason for the gap is that C-level executive salaries are public info. So, C-level employees have a lot of negotiating leverage. In addition to this, they generally have the ability to give themselves a raise (given that most boards are just yes-men).