David Zaslav Might Make So A lot Cash Out of Messing Up Warner Bros.

Stories are actually filtering by means of all of the enterprise chatter about precisely how a lot dough Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav stands to make from the company’s big sale. And, inevitably, it’s a jaw-dropping sum irrespective of who ends up taking control of the media empire.

The time period “golden parachute” has hardly ever been so evocatively utilized, and it’s how the Hollywood Reporter describes Zaslav’s potential payday if the WB sale involves a profitable finish. On this case meaning raking in as a lot cash as doable for shareholders, “particularly if a bidding battle escalates and drives Paramount’s hostile $30 per share provide even greater, or if Netflix wants to lift its provide.”

THR reported that Zaslav stands to earn “$30 million in ‘golden parachute’ compensation, together with $537 million in fairness, for a complete of $567 million.” His underlings, who will profit as a lot as he’ll if a bidding battle breaks out and raises inventory costs, are additionally poised for riches, topped off by Gunnar Wiedenfels, “Zaslav’s longtime lieutenant, present CFO, and soon-to-be CEO of spinoff agency Discovery World,” who’s set to get $5 million in money and $138 million in fairness.

That is, thoughts you, on high of the salaries these folks already earn (Zaslav is atop the pyramid with “$51.9 million in pay packages final yr”).

The THR story additionally famous that as a part of their takeover bid, David Ellison and Paramount had “promised Zaslav a task as co-CEO and co-chairman value ‘a whole bunch of thousands and thousands of {dollars},’ with Zaslav alerting the WBD board concerning the provide, which he stated was not acceptable.” Netflix remains to be the frontrunner within the deal.

It doesn’t matter what, Zaslav stands to come back out like a king—$567 million is equal to roughly eight Coyote vs. Acmes or six Batgirls, to name-check a few titles notoriously related together with his reign at WB.

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