In the world of tech, big paydays for top executives aren’t unheard of — but one recent deal out of Oregon is raising eyebrows for just how massive it is. A relatively unknown chipmaker in Hillsboro has just handed its new CEO an eye-popping $94 million package.
To put that in perspective, it’s about 1,300 times what the average employee at the company makes each year. That’s a gap that’s hard to ignore.
The Deal That Shook the Industry
Last September, Lattice Semiconductor’s board made waves by approving a massive, performance-based stock grant for Ford Tamer, a seasoned tech leader they lured away from investment firm Francisco Partners.
This move came on the heels of some tough times for Lattice — less than a year earlier, their stock had nosedived 15% in a single day, wiping out $1.6 billion in market value after their previous turnaround expert, Jim Anderson, suddenly left to head a larger company.
Investors React with Optimism
Despite the rocky period, the market greeted Tamer’s arrival with enthusiasm.
Shares jumped 12% on the day his appointment was announced, boosting the company’s value by $762 million.
Over the past year, Lattice’s stock price has climbed nearly 32%, a sign that shareholders might be optimistic that Tamer is steering the company in the right direction.
The Massive Pay Gap Between CEO and Workers
What really stands out about Tamer’s compensation is how it dwarfs what the average Lattice employee earns.
According to federal filings, the median salary at Lattice is $72,000, meaning Tamer’s pay package is the widest executive-to-worker gap of any company in Oregon — way bigger than even giants like Intel and Nike.
For comparison, Intel’s former CEO Pat Gelsinger made $28 million last year, which was nearly 300 times the pay of the average Intel worker.
Nike’s CEO Elliott Hill earned $27 million, about 545 times their average employee’s salary. But Tamer’s package blows those figures out of the water.
Performance-Based Pay and What Lies Ahead
Lattice insists this payout is a one-off, tied specifically to recruiting Tamer and hitting aggressive company goals.
The company has said they don’t expect to hand out another stock grant to him until at least 2026, and his annual salary will be much lower going forward.
Still, with the company’s market standing not yet fully recovered from recent setbacks and ongoing volatility in the semiconductor industry, all eyes will be on how well Tamer leads the charge.
The Bigger Picture: Executive Pay and Local Tax Debate
This blockbuster CEO pay deal has reignited conversations in Portland about the widening gulf between executive salaries and regular workers’ pay.
The city has a special tax that kicks in when CEO pay exceeds ten times the median worker wage.
Last year, that tax brought in $6.7 million — more than double what it raised when it first started in 2017.
As executive pay packages like Tamer’s make headlines, debates about fairness and corporate responsibility are likely to grow louder in Oregon’s business community.
