In a time when a rotten business environment is forcing America's c-suite elite to renounce bonuses, it's impossible to think that any CEO could be so audacious to demand one.
Merrill Lynch CEO John Thain asked for a $10 million bonus for fiscal year 2008. But he isn't getting it. And that's the trend. The ball started rolling in the U.S. this year with Goldman Sachs executives, including oft-praised CEO Lloyd Blankfein, forfeiting their bonuses. John Mack, CEO of Morgan Stanley, has declined his bonus for the second straight year. Meanwhile in Switzerland, UBS' UBS top executives have also said they'll forgo the big check.