That was a big deal in SV, and resulted in big-company executives getting bodyguards, black SUVs, and sometimes even separate office buildings for top mgmt.
> Though Nan, 54, was active in the American Red Cross and the Los Altos Historical Commission, as a couple they kept a low-profile lifestyle, never flaunting the considerable income Chuck, 58, was bringing home from his phenomenally successful computer graphics company, Adobe Systems.
> Both before and after the kidnapping, they shunned publicity. Chuck is especially critical of the San Jose Mercury News, which he believes have exploited his privacy by publicizing the value of his stock options with a characterization of his face. “That may or may not be right for football and baseball players, but I don’t understand why an industrialist like myself needs to be put in that position. I don’t see how the public is served by having that kind of exposure,” he said. He wonders if such media coverage played a role in the kidnappers selecting him.
It's pretty common in technology for execs to live way below their means, especially with stock options riches.
One of the Yahoo founders drove a subcompact car for years, and one of the Intel CFOs never told his family that he was worth $1 billion until his kids were grown.
That was a big deal in SV, and resulted in big-company executives getting bodyguards, black SUVs, and sometimes even separate office buildings for top mgmt.