It's the business of the shareholders first and foremost. The board of directors and CEO have ZERO reason to think anything related to executive compensation won't be made public.
If the company is public, then the company has the obligation to truthfully and accurately represent itself to prospective shareholders (who can be anyone, i.e. "the public").
CEO is a very different role than athlete or actor, from responsibility to elasticity of demand for their labor and I think comparing the two is a false-dichotomy.
Edit: What you're bringing up is actually one of the cruxes of our problems here in America, management no longer owns any significant portion of the company they manage. There is almost zero incentive to behave in a way that promotes long-term success; instead, it's better to optimize for quarterly returns so you hit your bonuses and eventually move on leaving all the shit to the next person.
When ownership of a business has no power over its management, bad things happen.
If the company is public, then the company has the obligation to truthfully and accurately represent itself to prospective shareholders (who can be anyone, i.e. "the public").
CEO is a very different role than athlete or actor, from responsibility to elasticity of demand for their labor and I think comparing the two is a false-dichotomy.
Edit: What you're bringing up is actually one of the cruxes of our problems here in America, management no longer owns any significant portion of the company they manage. There is almost zero incentive to behave in a way that promotes long-term success; instead, it's better to optimize for quarterly returns so you hit your bonuses and eventually move on leaving all the shit to the next person.
When ownership of a business has no power over its management, bad things happen.