Overpaid: The professionals Americans think earn too much

7/20/23 8:00PM

Over-earning

‍The Wall Street Journal recently reported that NBA stars are now more likely to take home $30 million+ pay packets than CEOs at S&P 500 companies. A recent YouGov survey, however, found that the American public doesn’t think either party is particularly deserving of the money they’re currently netting.

Indeed, pro athletes actually drew level with politicians — senators and representatives take home at least $174,000 a year in compensation — in the rankings for the most overpaid positions in the US, with a whopping 78% of respondents saying the professions are “very or somewhat overpaid”. CEOs can rest easy knowing only 76% of people think the same about them.

‍Poll positions

‍The YouGov poll asked 3,000 Americans to rank 30 professions on 3 criteria: the occupations’ impact, the perceived happiness of those working the job, and how overpaid/underpaid they think the vocation is. Interestingly, four of the top five “overpaid” positions also appeared in another unflattering tier, with lawyers, investment bankers, CEOs, and politicians all top occupations that Americans deem to have a “very or somewhat negative impact”.

On the other hand, the opposite end of the pay scale was a completely different story. Indeed, the "most underpaid" profession, farming, was ranked as the occupation with the most positive impact in society. 68% of Americans think farmers are “very or somewhat underpaid” — a matched proportion said the same of restaurant workers.

Go deeper: Explore how all 30 professions perform on the different metrics here.

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Paramount reportedly offers concessions to resolve multi-state antitrust investigation

Paramount has reportedly offered up some concessions in an effort to prevent an antitrust lawsuit by California and about 10 other states, according to Bloomberg reporting on Monday.

Reuters first reported on the potential suit from a group of unnamed states last week, which could throw a wrench in Paramount’s plans to buy rival Warner Bros. Discovery in a Hollywood megamerger.

The list of concessions is unknown, although Bloomberg previously reported that Paramount is open to divesting some of its kid’s TV assets to appease EU regulators.

Late last month, reports said US regulators appeared likely to approve the $110 billion merger, following a meeting between Paramount CEO David Ellison and DOJ antitrust staffers.

Paramount Offers Concessions to Head Off State Antitrust Lawsuit

The list of concessions is unknown, although Bloomberg previously reported that Paramount is open to divesting some of its kid’s TV assets to appease EU regulators.

Late last month, reports said US regulators appeared likely to approve the $110 billion merger, following a meeting between Paramount CEO David Ellison and DOJ antitrust staffers.

$98B ⛽

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The IATA released its latest financial outlook for the airline industry over the weekend, forecasting a $98 billion jump in the sector’s collective fuel bill. The world’s largest trade group representing airlines expects the oil spike to halve profits by 49% from last year to $23 billion.

The group also expects profit margins to halve year over year, falling from 2025’s 4.2% to 2%. Still, revenue is expected to climb to $1.17 trillion from $1.07 trillion.

A surge in the cost of jet fuel has rocked US and global airlines this year, leading Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, and others to raise fares and ancillary charges like bag fees. Low-cost carriers, which operate on smaller margins, have been squeezed the hardest, resulting in Spirit’s shutdown.

“It’s a tough year for all airlines, especially those whose balance sheets had not yet recovered from COVID. And, of course, for those operating in the Gulf,” said IATA Director General Willie Walsh, who added that demand is holding up and about half of passengers expect to spend more on travel this year. “That bodes well for a strong northern summer peak season. The big unknown is how long travelers and shippers can tolerate the higher costs of connectivity.”

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GM has reportedly rehired more than 100 former Cruise employees, 18 months after shuttering the robotaxi unit

GM has rehired more than 100 employees it let go early last year when it shuttered Cruise, its former robotaxi business, according to reporting by The Information.

The hiring spree, which also includes employees from Nvidia and Uber, is geared toward ramping up GM’s plans for personal-use self-driving vehicles and not robotaxis. The former had been the focus of Cruise, prior to GM shuttering it in 2024.

Reporting last fall revealed that GM was attempting to rehire some former Cruise employees, but the scope of that effort wasn’t clear. More than 1,000 employees were laid off when the automaker scrapped Cruise, which it invested $10 billion into.

Google’s Waymo, Cruise’s former chief rival, is now worth $126 billion after a $16 billion funding round earlier this year. The company says it’s serving 500,000 paid robotaxi rides per week in the US.

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