Scott Galloway : The Real Problem with CEO Pay | Office Hours
Scott Galloway takes listener questions on CEO pay, engaging young men in community service, and handling high-performing employees whose goals don't match company strategy.
The gist
-
Galloway says the real problem is tax structure: a CEO earning $1M in stock pays far less tax than a lawyer earning $1M in salary.
-
CEO pay doubles roughly every 3.5 years because boards pay 20% above median to attract talent, pushing every company's median higher over time.
-
Galloway favors a $25/hour minimum wage in urban areas and raising the corporate alternative minimum tax to 40% over capping executive pay directly.
-
When a top employee chases a misaligned opportunity, he says to first quantify the margin and revenue before deciding whether to shut it down or spin it off.
The Prof G Pod – Scott Galloway and This Week in Startups agree on 3 things
See what they all use, in their own words. Ad reads don't count.
See what they all swear by Or pick your own peopleAlso mentioned
9:51
Subaru
· "Hi Scott, I'm a liberal Subaru driving tote bag carrying rural Christian white woman."
11:33
Big Brothers Big Sisters
· "There are three times as many women applying to be Big Sisters of New York as there are men."
Ads in this episode
Built, United, Hyatt, IM8, Lyft, Amazon, Vanta, Ramp, Ryder. They're paid, so we keep them out of the picks above.
See what The Prof G Pod – Scott Galloway recommends without being paid →
◎
Related episodes
Episodes covering similar topics
Senator Cory Booker: The Tax System Is Rigged — Here’s How to Fix It | Prof G Conversations
tax policy
More from The Prof G Pod – Scott Galloway
The $400k Skill AI Can’t Replace | Deep Dive
Oct 14, 2026