Pay cuts for CEOs? Sounds good to many rank and file workers indeed. CEO pay in the United States has outpaced the rest of the workforce and now the average CEO makes 300 times their counter parts at the lower levels. Let’s face it a company’s job is to make money and a public company’s job is to increase shareholders value and quarterly profits. If all the money is going out the top end then, we need to cut costs there. Performance based pay is one thing, but when a company is not doing so hot, why should the CEO be paid so much? Well if you are wondering that, then you are not alone, in fact you find some friends in this line of thinking at the top as well. Warren Buffet for instance and if you read his papers on Corporate Governance and essays you will see what I mean.

Today we are replacing manufacturing jobs with robots, which do not complain, call in sick or go on strike. We never have to worry about lifetime pension contributions, employee lawsuits or sexual harassment. In fact we do not even have to worry about on-going education, as we can simply pop in a new program into the robotic machinery to continue the efficiency needed in Finite Capacity Scheduling models.

Kicking the CEO out the door might be a very inviting idea, as the cost savings would be huge. Artificial Robots could make this a cost-savings reality made in heaven for investors. Cutting a CEO’s pay like Michael Eisner would have saved Disney and unbelievable amount in the 10’s of millions. What about the former Tyco, World Com, Adelphia or Krispy Kreme CEOs; now we are talking, but is it possible to program a computer to do what a CEO does? Well, it could be.

The computer would not need to take a vacation or have an Ego Complex, you could train it not to steal from the company and make sure its mission was appropriate for the delivery of on time, quality goods to the consumer and the lowest possible costs to the company for the best price scenario of what the market will bare, based on the demographic target market and volume needed to maintain and increase market share.

Sounds to MBA’ish; well, isn’t that what we do, train humans to think like that in our Business Schools? If it is only a matter of training and we all know human nature is not the best for all the parties previously mentioned then why not shit can the CEO for a robot? Besides if something goes wrong you can literally axe the robot for a later version right?
Actually there are artificial intelligent trading programs, which work with a myriad of complex scenarios, which can beat out any human trader in the stock market.

There are also scientists working on robotic artificial intelligent programs right now to replace these CEOs. Is this a reasonable alternative to seat-of-the-pants, fearless leader, decision-making? Could be. Is it something a small business could use to make decisions too? Ask it a question and it pops out the answer. How about Non-profit groups like the United Nations, such a program instead of Koffee Anan would have prevented the Oil-4-Food Scandal?

These programs will make the need for organizational capital obsolete using data, complex modeling and better decision-making. If Big Blue can make a computer which can beat a Human in Chess, why not one which can beat out the competition, with their over paid CEO?

As a matter of fact lets downsize government. A smaller government saves taxpayers money and who need all those brain dead government bureaucrats anyway? Kick the whole lot out the door as one computer could take the place of 100’s if not thousands of the coffee pot sipping scoundrels in Washington D.C., you see there is a brighter future ahead. You just have to think outside he box. Think on it.

“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/