Charif Souki, Cheniere Energy CEO, paid $152 million by unprofitable company

THIS CEO was paid an enormous $152 million last year. But to add insult to injury, his company has never turned a profit.

HERE’S something fun I saw on Bloomberg TV (whose Market Makers is truly the morning show of champions and/or people who are really interested in the bond market) earlier today:

The highest-paid CEO in the United States, Charif Souki, works for a company that has never turned a profit.

Mr Souki made $152 million ($US142 million) last year, $53.73 million more than the second-place earner, and since 2002 has worked for a company called Cheniere Energy that according to this article is 50 times smaller than ExxonMobil.

What gives? Cheniere, apparently, is expected to be an industry leader in the process of taking hydraulically fracked natural gas and liquefying it for export, and its stock is up 1,800 per cent since 2008.

The company has nonetheless faced a shareholder lawsuit over compensation issues and has said it will “reassess” its policies in that department.

This article was originally published on Slate and has been republished here with permission.