There are some good reasons why CEO pay has risen. Large companies keep getting bigger, and in some ways, more complex. Healthcare, pharmaceutical and media companies have made sizable acquisitions as these industries continue to consolidate. Disney, for instance, just bought a large chunk of 21st Century Fox's media and entertainment properties for US$71.3 billion. AT&T bought Time Warner for US$85 billion. And no one is arguing that Mr Iger, for instance, is not a first-rate CEO. But executive pay is exceeding revenue and profit growth.