London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Cramer: Jamie Dimon, when questioned about $31 million pay, should have said he's worth it

Cramer: Jamie Dimon, when questioned about $31 million pay, should have said he's worth it

J.P. Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon should have stood up for his 2018 pay of $31 million, CNBC’s Jim Cramer says. “I would’ve said, ’Look I know you think that I may be overpaid but I do point out that others have shared in the wealth,” the “Mad Money” host says. Dimon, in a “60 Minutes” interview, “didn’t make a good case for himself,” Cramer says.
J.P. Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon should have defended his 2018 $31 million compensation during his recent “60 Minutes” interview, CNBC’s Jim Cramer argued Monday.

Dimon, in an interview that aired Sunday on the CBS show, was asked if his pay package last year was too high. Dimon sharply responded that the board of directors sets his pay and he has “nothing to do with it.”

“Why didn’t Jamie say, ‘Well one of the things I’ve done is triple the value of the stock, and so shareholders have benefited,’” Cramer said on “Squawk on the Street.”

The “Mad Money” host continued that Dimon, who became CEO in late 2005, should have said, “Shareholders have been rewarded, and therefore the board has rewarded me. I have created a lot of wealth for people in the stock, or my team has.”

“You’re asking [Dimon] to say he’s worth it?” CNBC’s Carl Quintanilla asked Cramer.

“Yes, exactly right. I would’ve said that if I were him,” Cramer said. “I would’ve said, ‘Look I know you think that I may be overpaid but I do point out that others have shared in the wealth. I bought back stock at the right level; I got the earnings to be good.’ He didn’t make a good case for himself.”

CBS’ Lesley Stahl followed up Dimon’s response that the board sets his pay by asking the bank executive why he doesn’t return some of it.

“I could. Is that going to solve any of those problems?” responded Dimon, who said earlier in the interview that he believes wealth inequality in the U.S. is a “huge problem.”

Dimon said he believes the way to reduce inequality is through a more equitable tax system, arguing that he would not have cut taxes on the rich, likely a reference to the 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act championed by President Donald Trump and Republicans on Capitol Hill.

While acknowledging executive compensation in some cases “is a little crazy,” Cramer said it should be noted that Dimon sets a good example through his job performance. “There are people who make a lot of money who don’t do well for shareholders, and there are ones who do well, and it should be factored in.”

“Isn’t the problem the executives who are paid a lot who don’t make money for shareholders?” he concluded.

In the last 40 years, top corporate executives have seen their pay increase by more than 1,000%, nearly 100 times the rate of average workers, according to a recent study. A Gallup poll in 2018 found 47% of Americans favor government action to limit executive pay.

The Dimon-Stahl exchange was the latest flashpoint in a public debate over executive compensation and the broader debate over the ever-widening wealth gap in America. It’s a hot-button issue in the Democratic presidential race, with most candidates looking for the rich to pay more and Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders both pushing different versions of a wealth tax.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
×