The holiday season is over, and many people have either already spent their year-end bonuses or are anxiously awaiting for them to arrive.
With that in mind, it's worth taking a step back and looking at the executive pay of the industry's top executives.
Often, total compensation reflects not just a base salary but also bonuses and stock options. In some cases, high pay is the reward executives receive for delivering positive results for the company they lead. For example, it's not surprising that Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) CEO Tim Cook rakes in a hefty total compensation package, given that Apple is one of the most profitable companies in the world. In other cases executives have been given large pay packages to lure them to a company in the hopes of a turnaround, like Nokia's (NYSE:NOK) Stephen Elop.
The following is a list of executive pay for 2010 (the last full year available). The data comes from publicly available filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Did these executives deserve their pay? Do some deserve more, or less? Let us know in the comments. --Phil