Have you ever observed that poorly performing employees are paid similarly to high performers? Sure there's sometimes a discrepancy, but it's generally within t

Have you ever observed that poorly performing employees are paid similarly to high performers? Sure there's sometimes a discrepancy, but it's generally within the same order of magnitude. The same applies for executives. Poorly performing execs are still remunerated appropriately for their position. You can't usually tell how well an exec has performed for at least a year or two, especially if they're coming into a chaotic (read: poorly managed) organization. Hopefully the organization is capable of weeding-out poor performers, but it's no easy thing. Again, the same goes for executives. Poor performers (should) get fired by the board. If they're not, the board is failing. In this case we're talking about an exec who has been at Netflix for 20 years and was one of the people who built the company from nothing. I don't think anyone is suggesting he is a poor performer. You seem to be labouring under the assumption that leadership is easy. It's anything but. Well defined processes, high-functioning departments, all of that is fragile as hell. A few key people turn over, formerly-respected processes start being ignored, things go to shit. This has happened time and again. One of the jobs of leadership is to keep people accountable. Why would anyone follow a process that no one is checking on? Especially if the person is new or they feel the process gets in their way (which it often does!).