Hey, look at that — after Warner Bros. dominated the Oscars, WBD CEO David Zaslav decided that it was the best time for a Monday morning S.E.C. filing spelling out precisely how many hundreds of millions he will be extracting from the company being sold off.
Zaslav’s total merger-related compensation comes to $886.8M, just shy of the one billion dollars I predicted a few months ago. Regardless, job cuts affecting thousands are anticipated after the deal is finalized, a common outcome in mergers like this.
All the money in the world cannot stop the dubious legacy Zaslav has carved out for himself as WBD CEO, one that will likely be defined by aggressive cost-cutting and controversial decisions like shelving projects—moves that drew criticism from creatives and audiences alike.