David Zaslav — Warner Bros. Discovery ($247 Million)

Zaslav pocketed $247 million in his first year running the merged Warner Bros. Discovery while slashing content budgets and canceling near-finished films like 'Batgirl.' The payout represents 8 times the average of his peers at major media companies, according to Equilar data. While Pichai's payout sparked debate over timing, Zaslav's drew fire for value destruction, making it a stark case of reward without performance.