Do managers and executives deserve their current salaries?
Responses divide on whether managers deserve current salaries. Critics argue executives are overpaid relative to contribution - delegating work, taking credit, and earning bonuses without technical competence. A counterpoint acknowledges that good management (shielding teams, advocating for raises, making hard decisions) has real value, even if its full scope isn't always visible to direct reports.
6 responses
Feb 25, 2026
There's something to be said for the responsibility piece - my boss's decisions affect 40 people's livelihoods, which is different from what I'm responsible for. That said, the gap between her pay and mine seems bigger than the gap in actual impact, if we're being real about it.
Feb 25, 2026
Look, I don't know enough about what goes into running a department to say my boss doesn't deserve it. But I know she's less competent than at least three people on her team, so there's definitely something broken about the system that got her there.
Feb 25, 2026
The real question is: who decides what anyone deserves? We pay athletes millions to throw balls around, but nurses can't afford rent. It's all made up anyway - salary's just what the market will bear, not some reflection of moral worth.
Feb 25, 2026
I'd say yeah, mostly. My manager actually shields us from corporate nonsense, fights for our raises, and isn't afraid to make the hard calls when someone isn't working out. That stuff's worth something, even if I don't always see the full picture of what she's dealing with.
Feb 25, 2026
She literally hasn't written a single line of code in five years but makes more than our entire junior dev team combined. Make that make sense.
Feb 25, 2026
Honestly? No. My boss makes three times what I make, delegates all the actual work to me, and then takes credit in meetings. She couldn't code her way out of a paper bag, but somehow she's the one getting the bonus when our project ships. It's infuriating.