HP's ousted CEO receives $45 million

Title: Fiorina walks with $45 million
Source: CNN
Date: February 25, 2004

She was fired because she wasn't doing a good job, yet she gets $45 million as she leaves. From the article:

Carly Fiorina, who was ousted last week as chairman and CEO of Hewlett-Packard Co., will have received $45 million worth in stock options and severance pay on top of her regular salary and cash bonuses after five years at the company, a spokeswoman said Monday.

The $45 million is based on the current value of roughly $23.5 million in previously awarded stock options and a $21.4 million severance package awarded to Fiorina after she resigned last week.

"It comes to $45 million or so," HP spokeswoman Brigida Bergkamp said. "This is just what she can exercise now."