Ex-GM CEO Rick Wagoner Missed Out on a $39.2 Million Payoff

Robert Farago
by Robert Farago

Automotive News [AN, sub] reports that ex-GM CEO Rick Wagoner missed out on a $39.2 million payday. We already knew about Red Ink Rick’s as-yet-unpaid $22.1 million pension fund. (The Presidential Task Force on Autos (PTFOA) won’t sign the company killer’s pension check for fear of an epic bailout backlash.) We now learn that the GM Board of Directors—an august body so deep in Wagoner’s pocket it nearly suffocated in lint—could have “awarded” Wagoner an additional $17.1 million in severance pay. Bailout regulations put paid to that bonanza. Wagoner also saw the value of his stock plummet from $93.62 a share to nearasdammit niente. Are we feeling sorry for Rick? During the GM lifer’s 17-year tenure as a senior executive, he banked some $9 million via stock options. I’ve yet to read about Rick’s total salary to date (he’s currently earning a buck a year) or the perks he will continue to enjoy into his dotage. As the Brits would say, I’m sure Rick’s not short a bob or two.

Robert Farago
Robert Farago

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