Top Executive Salaries Soar

The top bananas of the corporate world are taking in more income in relation to their immediate subordinates than ever before, the Times reports. Wealth is concentrating among the business elite but staying somewhat stagnant among more middling execs—the average gap between #1 and #3 has more than tripled over the last 30 years.

The CEO of Office Depot made $12 million last year, more than four times the salary of his #2, and over six times the pay of #5. Corporate defenders say chiefs have tougher jobs than ever, while critics claim that execs are jacking up their compensation at the expense of stockholders. Most economists, meanwhile, attribute the raises to competition for talent.  (More Office Depot stories.)