I understand why people see a $38 million compensation figure and get angry, especially after layoffs. That's a natural reaction. But CEO compensation at large public companies is heavily tied to stock awards and long-term performance metrics, not just a giant paycheck deposited into a bank account.
The other side of the story is that IBM's stock was up significantly during the period being measured, revenue has stabilized compared to years of decline, the company completed the acquisition of HashiCorp, expanded its AI offerings around watsonx, and continues to generate substantial cash flow. The board's job is to determine whether Mr. Krishna delivered results relative to the goals they set.