Jobs total compensation a bit more than $1 per year

There are so many things incorrect with this post it's ridiculous.

The individual pays only the current 15% cap gains tax on the options, but NO payroll tax and NO medicare, state income tax, nothing.

That's not always true. It depends on the type of options offered (Qualified vs. Non-quals), and how they are exercised.

A company I was at offered non-qualified stock options. The proceeds from them were taxed as W-2 income, and subject to Social Security (6.2% up to the cap) adn Medicare (1.45% for the full amount).

As a result, it only made sense to exercise them in a same-day buy-sell transaction. It does make some sense to buy and hold qualified options, but you have to be able to live without the cash to exercise them for over a year.

It doesn't matter anyway--Steve may own many millions of shares of Apple stock options, but he's never exercised them or sold any shares.

It's not interesting to say "Steve Jobs' salary is $1 and even though he's owns millions of dollars worth of shares--given to them when they were worthless--he's never excercised any of them or sold any shares of Apple stock."

That's right Mentalsticks, don't care about other people. Just look out for yourself. Make sure you get yours! And those people in other countries living in desperate poverty? Just Lazy! Keep all that money, steve, make as much money as you can! money money money! You deserve it!

@ mentalsticks

There is enough food in Africa to feed everyone there.
There is enough food in India to feed everyone there.

People aren't starving because Steve is making money.
Socialism isn't the answer and Capitalism isn't either.
The problem is with people.
You can pass all the laws you want to stop this or that.
But you can't make people love each other.

I dont really mind so much, since I've been holding the stock since 10$, and 20$, and 40$, and 55$, but it still ends up being a lot.

As pay for performance goes, he is WAY ahead of others, where pay has outpaced performance a lot.

mentalsticks - he deserves every penny of it. go spew your socialist crap elsewhere.

$646 million for the last five years of work
=$129 million a year

These are stock options that were granted to him 5 years ago.
5 years ago AAPL stock went for $10 a share
Today it is about $100 per share.

So Steve received $12.9 million worth of stock.
He has worked hard to raise it's value so he deserves every penny of it.

The Forbes article is crap. Steve has yet to sell any Apple stock since his return in 1997.

haha... man Steve Jobs makes more money per minute than I (net) make per month!

*hangs head and laughs a sad, tear-filled laugh...*