GameStop CEO Could Ring In Big Payday But With An Even Bigger Caveat

GameStop revealed plans this week for a potential $35 billion compensation package for its CEO, Ryan Cohen. This payout isn’t guaranteed; it’s based entirely on improving the company’s performance. Cohen would need to dramatically increase GameStop’s value – more than tenfold – and boost profits to earn the full amount.

As a GameStop fan, it’s clear things need to change. The company’s had a tough time lately, and the stock price has really dropped since the big boom back in 2021 when everyone was talking about it and retail investors drove it up. Reaching their goals now would mean a serious turnaround for them.

Even before the pandemic really took hold in 2020, GameStop had plans to close the same number of stores it had closed the year before.

Okay, so here’s the deal with GameStop’s new plan. Basically, Cohen’s got a huge task: he needs to get the company’s value up to a whopping $100 billion! On top of that, they need to show $10 billion in operating profit. Right now, GameStop is worth around $9.26 billion, so it’s a pretty big jump. We saw things get crazy back in 2021 when the stock hit around $34 billion, but this goal is way beyond that. It’s ambitious, to say the least!

Under the new plan, Ryan Cohen won’t receive a typical salary, cash bonuses, or stock awards. Instead, he’ll be compensated with stock options, allowing him to purchase over 171.5 million shares at a price of $20.66 per share. Cohen, who is already a billionaire investor, first joined GameStop’s board in January 2021 and became the company’s CEO in September 2023. GameStop shareholders will vote on this compensation package at a meeting scheduled for March or April.

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2026-01-08 19:39