Dan Schulman made 34.3 million in 3 months in 2025 :He only became CEO on October 4, 2025 — so he earned most of that in just 3 months as CEO. Here's how:He received a $9.5 million RSU grant upfront just to compensate him for pay he forfeited when he left a prior investment firm to take the Verizon job. Then a $20 million RSU grant vesting in 2027, plus a $30 million PSU grant tied to performance — all loaded in at the start. Add his $1.5 million base salary and a short-term bonus target of 250% of base salary, prorated for the portion of 2025 he was CEO , and you get to $34.3 million fast.The CEO Hans Vestberg collected $31.2 million in 2025 compensation. So Verizon paid two CEOs over $65 million combined in the same year it laid off 13,000 workers.The system that allows this:The board sets pay. The board is elected by shareholders. But in practice, executive compensation committees at major corporations benchmark pay against other large companies — creating a ratchet where CEO pay only goes up, regardless of performance. Schulman got paid to leave his last job and came in loaded with equity from day one, before proving anything.
So to directly answer your question: he made $34.3 million largely through upfront equity grants and a golden hello — not because he earned it through results. The results come later, if they come at all.
13 replies (most recent on top)
Yawn. What did this post accomplish
I sold all my stock from Verizon, my whole family was Verizon customers and now we're all going to T-Mobile. Dan and his buddies are all just playing games and making the numbers look ok...they don't care about service or customers. They just want improve their numbers and say, he the stock went here for a bit...give me my money!
Both of them are also board members.
It's not just CEO pay. Lol
I hope everyone just starts doing the minimum. I’m starting to feel like Dans message is smoke and mirrors. I used to work several hours after work to keep up- no more..weekends too - no more. My mental and physical health are worth way more. I am appalled at Leadership at our company. It’s across the board. My group is like Bozo the Clowns. I get off our weekly huddles and just LOL. And we manage large accounts that bring in large amounts of revenue…glad I’m on the tail end of my career.
@OP Given how inarticulate and incompetent Hans is, it feels like we’re on a hidden camera / practical joke show and the host is going to announce we’ve been punk’d any minute now.
This reminds that the owner / CEO of Fiberbond structured the sale of his company in a such a way as to give $240 millions in bonuses to the employees. As the old adage goes: If you want to find out the true nature of a person give them power.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/exiting-ceo-left-employee-family-165419714.html
That much for 2 individuals who frankly are nowhere near the best and the brightest.
Contrazt that with the just $20 million set aside for retraining the 15,000 he fired.
You guys know that VZ posted internal
Jobs for executive protection in late 2025. Essentially secret service for executives. Dan plans to lay off 30% of VZ while lining up his pockets
It’s a disgusting system that happens all across the country. Not saying it’s right. It’s decidedly unjust and just creates an environment that just snowballs towards sc--wing the average workers - you and me.
Corporate greed at its finest. Absolutely disgusting. They should be ashamed. Instead, they are laughing all the way to the bank while thousands of Verizon families have to worry about money and putting food on the table.
@OP Eat the rich (or at least tax them 95%)
RSUs aren't real till they vest. He can't access them, he can't sell them, he can't do anything till they vest. He absolutely did not make $34.3M in 3 months.
This should be a big care! The execs are making more and more and laying off ppl underneath them to make sure they cash in on their rsu and bonus.
The system is broken not just here but everywhere.
The execs want that Google and Nvidia money but this a utility company
Who cares?