Apparently, Sony is freezing “non-managerial” wages in what looks like a cost-cutting maneuver. It’s not quite the same thing as AIG’s insane bonuses on this side of the pond, but it’s still boosting the managerial staff, when what should be happening is either a broad spectrum freeze or managerial cuts (or pink slips with no parachutes). These are the guys, after all, who led the company merrily into red ink. In a honest meritocracy, that sort of thing is a call for replacement, not shifting the burden to the cubicle drones or taxpayers to pay for bonuses or raises.
It’s a good time to be a manager, though. I’m definitely in the wrong hotseat, at least if all I cared about was the money. Even so, shafting the people who actually produce the goods isn’t a viable long term strategy. It’s popular, but stupid.