I know nothing on this topic so perhaps a naive question but: what about the employees? I imagine part of their TC was in stock, so if I was a CEO I'd feel pretty motivated to reward my employees, who quite literally bet their family's income on me (and indirectly, their retirement and kids' college funds and inheritance etc.)
Lots of people say they would do the right thing when a situation arises that requires it. But the greedy part of the human brain is very good at rationalizing why the altruistic path isn't the best path. Imagine an inner dialogue, "Why should I settle for 10 million dollars instead of 50 million? I own the company, I made the most sacrifices, everyone else just road my coattails to success. They'll still get something but I deserve the most."
This is why we should never trust anything that isn't in writing. No matter how many times someone promises to "do good by you" there will be a moment where that promise won't mean a thing or will be interpreted to have meant something different.
