They deserve more money than anyone else in the company gets, because they’ve worked their way to the top
This is fallacious. Their status is not generally a product of their hard work and dedication. It’s often the product of a mix of luck, nepotism, screwing people over on your way up, lying, and other ethically questionable activities. I’m not saying that they have done literally zero work to get to where they are, but not only do I not consider what they did productive or beneficial to anyone in any way, but if they left their morals at the door in order to make that climb, there’s nothing about them or the situation to be respected.
Then you have to consider the ethics of allocating money: the marginal benefit of $1 to a billionaire is figuratively infinitely less than the marginal benefit of $1 to someone in poverty. If the purpose of wealth is to better one’s life, and not solely to be amassed, then there is no need for the billionaire to get anything more.
From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs. (Karl Marx, 1875, Critique of the Gotha Programme)
This is fallacious. Their status is not generally a product of their hard work and dedication. It’s often the product of a mix of luck, nepotism, screwing people over on your way up, lying, and other ethically questionable activities. I’m not saying that they have done literally zero work to get to where they are, but not only do I not consider what they did productive or beneficial to anyone in any way, but if they left their morals at the door in order to make that climb, there’s nothing about them or the situation to be respected.
Then you have to consider the ethics of allocating money: the marginal benefit of $1 to a billionaire is figuratively infinitely less than the marginal benefit of $1 to someone in poverty. If the purpose of wealth is to better one’s life, and not solely to be amassed, then there is no need for the billionaire to get anything more.