In a year when cryptocurrency stocks have mostly moonwalked downward, executives at some of the sector’s top firms managed to secure fat compensation packages.
Summary
- Crypto executives secured generous compensation despite falling stock prices.
- Some packages included protections against market declines.
- Activist shareholder Paul Glazer is opposing Pompliano’s M&A/pay package.
According to SEC filings reviewed by Protos.com, several crypto pros enjoyed a bump in pay.
- David Bailey: The CEO of bitcoin treasury company Nakamoto and a noted President Trump ally pulled together a stacked package: signing bonus, consulting fees, stock options, restricted stock units, cash bonuses, and even private jet use — all paid to a company he controls.
- Michael Saylor: The Strategy founder’s fortune grew as well, thanks to Class B stock with enhanced voting rights, options, and convertibles, despite the company’s common stock seeing a significant decline.
- Anthony Pompliano: The podcaster structured a payout that guaranteed him riches even if ProCap’s stock price fell — and it did. One shareholder, Paul Glazer, issued a hostile letter disclosing a 7.7% stake in Columbus Circle Capital Corp. I — the special purpose acquisition company ProCap is seeking to go public by merging with — and said it would vote against the merger “in its present form.”
- Joseph Onorati: DeFi Development Corporation’s CEO receives an annual salary of $574,000 plus a 200% bonus possibility if the company achieves certain milestones.
- Adam Sullivan: Core Scientific’s CEO saw a pay bump while the stock mostly napped.
- Allan Marshall: The honcho at Solana treasury company Upexi earned a salary plus grants and warrants while shares dropped below the value of its Solana holdings.
In short, while the markets tumbled, crypto executives’ wallets can, indeed, grow fat.