Amazon.com, The Bodyguard

theodp writes "While the press is running Amazon's standard we-can't-make-our-CEO-accept-more-than-$81,840 line again this year, the e-tailer's recent SEC filing does disclose an interesting new compensation tidbit. On top of what it spends to provide security for its CEO at business facilities and during business travel, Amazon shells out an estimated $1.1 million a year to cover the cost of security arrangements for billionaire CEO Jeff Bezos. Holy Jack Welch, Batman - that's a lot of door desks!"

Comments

Seems reasonable

[flyingember]

That's $550/hour. Better than the $160,000/hour some ceos make

Re:Seems reasonable

[Zelucifer]

Well, a 3-day event involving Bush, his inauguration as a matter of fact cost $17 million dollars for security. Now when you consider that they're spending apparoximately $6.1 billion on upgrading his helicopters (increase floor space, and communications... specifically adding secure lines with constant access), Marine One if you're curious. I'd say it's quite a bit more then a hundred times.... interesting article on the Marine One upgrade if anyone is interested Popular Science

Re:Seems reasonable

[jdcook]

"Better than the $160,000/hour some ceos make"

That's just the sort of blinkered philistine pig-ignorance I've come to expect from you non-capitalistic garbage. I'll have you know that outgoing Exxon CEO, to whom you obliquely refer, was earning a mere $26,384.62/hour. ($686 million over 13 years, assuming 2000 working hours a year.) And I bet you pretend you'd be willing to handle the demanding tasks of a planet-raping CEO for half that. As if! It'll be a sad day for America when our CEOs are outsourced to India. Won't someone think of the billionaires?

Maybe they need Microsoft Protection Services

[BadAnalogyGuy]

Microsoft has a new utility called Microsoft Protection Services. It's where salesmen from Redmond visit client sites and make sure that a great shame like something getting broken accidentally or someone getting injured in an unexpected accident doesn't happen.

Maybe Amazon just saw the need for some protection.

he needs it.. duh

[Toba82]

Things we know:
1) A lot of people on slashdot hate patents.
2) Jeff Bezos loves patents.
3) A lot of people on slashdot hate Jeff Bezos.

4) A lot of people on slashdot are libertarians.
5) Libertarians approve of gun rights.
6) A lot of people on slashdot have guns.

And:
7) Profit!

Re:he needs it.. duh

[hbo]

..
3) A lot of people on slashdot hate Jeff Bezos.
..
6) A lot of people on slashdot have guns.

That's ridiculous! If you keep spreading rumors like that, I'm going to find out where you live, and pay a visit, along with Mr. Smith and Mr Wesson.

Oh.. wait..

Re:he needs it.. duh

[rethin]

Freaking l00z3r. A *real* geek would just hack into NSA or SAC and arrange for somebody to be accidently dropped on his head.

No a real geek would fill his house with popcorn. Then hack an orbiting space laser ...

Oh wait, that's a real genius

This article should be modded "Overrated"

[dteichman2]

It's a rich guy who isn't trying that hard to get richer.

Frugality

[Langfat]

From TFA:

"If you look at this building, you can open the windows and get fresh air and natural light. Those things actually matter to people. Having a mahogany credenza does not." He laughs powerfully. "There are no mahogany credenzas here. There's no art on the walls.

Ok, now I agree that what is hanging on most office walls is an expensive waste of space, but by saying it in this way, it makes the guy sound like he's saying art doesn't matter to people. That's a ballsy statement that I would highly contest (just look at the uproar here on /. surrounding Ebert's comments as to whether video games are art).

So?

[bl00d6789]

I'm not really sure I see what the big deal is. While $1.1 million might seem like an excessive amount to spend on security for one person, it isn't compensation to Bezos. It's an expenditure for security of a company official while he's conducting company business, not a paycheck.

Income tax

[Aceticon]

There's a not that uncommon tax scam for company owners which works as the following:
- Company owner is also company CEO
- Company CEO is payed minimum/symbolic wages
- Company pays for just about any expense of the owner/CEO and his family

Thus "safe"-house, bulletproof limo, bodyguard-driver, security-certified cleaning company, bulletproof yacht ...

I reckon that for a listed company, the positive advertising (and share price boosting) effects of divulging a CEO's low salary would make such a scam even sweeter ...

Re:Income tax

[ScentCone]

There's a not that uncommon tax scam for company owners which works as the following...

Think, for a moment, past whatever distaste you have for the fact that some people launch successful businesses and get themselves (and the people who risked money to help) a good (or great) return on that investment.

What do you think it would cost Amazon if something unexpected were to happen to Bezos? A million dollars? Way, way more than that. What do you think it would cost everyone who have a bit of their pension fund invested in Amazon's stock? What do you think it would cost the thousands of vendors, partners, employees, re-sellers, affiliates, freight companies, publishers, and everyone else if Amazon had a big stumble - even if just temporarily - because Bezos got wacked by some addled-brained author who's mad because his crappy book couldn't get out of position 150,000 on the A-list?

Companies with interests that far reaching and of that much significant financial impact on/for so many people are simply buying insurance when they spend such a relatively small amount on protective services for their key figures. A million is a lot of money. But that's nothing compared to what it would cost Amazon if Bezos got killed in a carjacking or got kidnapped in Belize while on vacation. I own some stock in Amazon, and I sure as hell would hope that the company's looking out for the interests of their highest-profile, most important human asset. Sure the company would function without him... but way, way more than a million bucks would go down the toilet if he met a sudden violent end.

his dodge-ball skills should suffice

[Anonymous Coward]

Huh, I'm surprised Jeff feels he needs the guards. Two years ago in an Amazon.com dodgeball league mathcup, I chucked a ball at his feet. He leapt over it jumping-jack style while simultaneously throwing another ball into my knee. Fortunately he didn't have enough time to suck in enough air for his laugh as I headed to the sideline.

...and yes, we still have door-desks.. though they're rumoured to cost more than regular desks!

On the bright side....

[mikelang]

The bright side is that:

• nobody doubts that multi-billionaire needs bodyguards,
• nobody doubts that CEO like Jeff Bezos is worth the additional expense.

Bill Gates Mother

[fishdan]

I can't find a reference to it anywhere, so it may just be urban legend, but I heard that there was a very real attempt to kidnap Bill Gates mother about 10 years ago, that was broken up at the last moment by the police. Even if it's just rumor, I don't resent these guys needing to feel secure -- and it's obviously not just themselves. Is it fair for Jeff Bezos' siblings to think that they might be targetted?

You'd have to think that with money like the extremely wealthy and extremely popular have, they have very legit security concerns. That's why I didn't like the pie episode. Hate the guy all you want (and in my professional life, I really do despise Bill and MSFT), but whatever you might think of a person, there's no reason to make hi, fear for his life. And for me, when I saw the pie movie, there's a second on Bills face when it looks like he's has the epiphany "Fuck, I'm a potential target for [terrorists | anarchists | crazed anti-indutrialists | ELFers | PETA | someone who thinks I'm a symbol], and this person is about to hit me with something." I saw a real fear of anticipated violence.

And for me that's over the line.

Securing the Executive Branch

[bigdaddyhame]

Certainly he needs bodyguards, and rightly so. The market for kidnapping billionaires' relatives for ransom is quite lucrative. Up in Canada one of our billionaires, Jim Pattison, paid an undisclosed ransom to kidnappers after his daughter was kidnapped. She was returned unharmed, but no doubt Pattison's security detail was upgraded. Didn't the family that owns the Heineken brewery in Holland suffer the same? The board of directors of any large company have a responsibility to the shareholders to keep themselves, and the Chairman and CEO, out of trouble.