Opening its proxy statement…Reading the pay tables…Finding what shareholders vote on…
GEGeneral Electric Co
Pay and votes (proxy statement)
Before its yearly shareholder meeting, a company sends out a proxy statement, filed with the SEC as a DEF 14A. It says what shareholders will vote on, who sits on the board, and how the top managers are paid, set against how the shares did. Here are the key parts of General Electric's latest one. Open the full statement.
The yearly meeting
The meeting date wasn't found in the text. The statement itself gives it on its first pages.
Audit firm put forward for approval: Deloitte & Touche LLP
Proxy statement filed Mar 12, 2026.
The boss's pay next to a typical employee's
The chief executive was paid about 486× what the employee in the exact middle of the company's pay scale earned (the CEO pay ratio).
Each square is one typical employee's yearly pay; together they add up to the chief executive's. The red square is one employee for scale. Ratios vary a lot between industries: a company with many part-time or overseas workers has a lower middle wage.
“Based upon total compensation for 2025, we calculated that our ratio of CEO to median employee pay was 486 to 1.”
What shareholders vote on
- 1Election of DirectorsShareholders vote on who sits on the board, the people who oversee the managers on their behalf.Board says: for
- 2Advisory Approval of Our Named Executives’ Compensation"Say on pay": shareholders give their view on how the top managers are paid. The vote is advisory, so the board doesn't have to follow it.Board says: for
- 3Approval of the Amendment and Restatement of the 2022 Long-Term Incentive PlanApproving a plan that lets the company pay staff or directors in shares, which can add new shares over time.Board says: for
- 4Approval of the GE Aerospace Global Employee Stock Purchase PlanApproving a plan that lets the company pay staff or directors in shares, which can add new shares over time.Board says: for
- 5Ratification of Deloitte as Independent Auditor for 2Shareholders confirm the outside firm that checks the accounts.Board says: for
- 6Shareholder Proposal Requesting Right to Act by Written ConsentPut forward by one or more shareholders. The board says how it recommends voting, and explains why in the statement.From shareholders
- 7Shareholder Proposal Requesting Report on Defense-Related ProductsPut forward by one or more shareholders. The board says how it recommends voting, and explains why in the statement.From shareholders
Titles as written in the statement. The board's recommendation is shown only where candor found it clearly stated.
Pay next to how the shares did
Since 2022, companies must show their bosses' pay next to how shareholders did. Two pay figures are given: the pay the board set for the year (from the summary pay table), and “compensation actually paid”, which re-values share awards at today's share price, so it rises and falls with the stock and can even be negative. Tap a year.
20212022202320242025
Pay set for the year Actually paid (re-valued) Negative: share awards lost value
20212022202320242025
General Electric A group of similar companies it picked
Year to Dec 31, 2025 · chief executive: H. Lawrence Culp, Jr.
Pay set for the chief executive: $45.6M
Actually paid, re-valued: $213.5M
Other top managers, on average: $9.4M
$100 in its shares became: $586 (similar companies: $189)
Profit (net income): –
The measure it ties pay to (Free cash flow): $7.7B
Read straight from the tagged “pay versus performance” table in the proxy statement. The $100 figures assume $100 was invested at the start of the first year shown, with dividends reinvested.