In brief: If there's one thing likely to make the 30,000 people Amazon has laid off since October feel even worse, it's finding out that CEO Andy Jassy saw his total compensation increase to $2.1 million last year, rising about 30% compared to 2024.
Amazon published its annual proxy statement yesterday, revealing Jassy's compensation for last year.
Jassy earned a base salary of $365,000 in 2025, while his business travel and security expenses reached $1.7 million, bringing the total to around $2.1 million.
Jassy also had $43 million in stock awards that vested in 2025, as well as $242 million in restricted stock that had not vested as of December 31.
The Amazon boss' compensation increased compared to 2024. His base salary was the same that year, but his security and travel expenses were $1.1 million, taking the total to almost $1.6 million. He also had more than $274 million in restricted Amazon stock at the end of 2024.
During his first year as CEO in 2021, Jassy received a stock award from Amazon – the last time he was awarded one – bringing his annual compensation to more than $200 million.
A CEO being paid hundreds or thousands of times more than those who work for them isn't something new, of course. But it's an especially bitter to pill to swallow at Amazon.
The tech giant has cut at least 30,400 jobs since January 1, 2025, about 10% of the company's white-collar workforce. Even Amazon's robotics unit, which many believe will reduce the need for warehouse workers, has seen layoffs.
Much of the focus around these cuts has fallen on AI. Amazon has partly tied the reductions to AI-driven efficiency gains, though it has also framed them as part of a broader push to remove layers, reduce bureaucracy, and streamline the business.
While Jassy's compensation package is eye-watering by any normal standard, it reflects how most tech CEOs are paid. Salary is usually the smallest part of the package, while vested shares and long-term stock grants account for the overwhelming majority of their wealth. By that standard, Jassy is hardly an outlier, even if the numbers remain staggering.