Amazon GC Zapolsky’s pay plunges. Here’s what’s behind It
David Zapolsky (pictured), Chief Global Affairs and Legal Officer at Amazon, is expected to fall significantly in the 2025 ranking of highest-paid general counsel following a sharp year-on-year decline in reported compensation.
According to the company’s latest proxy filing with the Securities and Exchange Commissiona, as reported by Law.com, Zapolsky’s total compensation for FY2025 amounted to approximately $372,000, consisting primarily of base salary and a modest retirement contribution.
The figure implies a ~99% contraction versus the prior year and reflects the structural characteristics of Amazon’s executive compensation framework rather than a deterioration in role, performance, or scope of responsibilities.
Amazon adopts a front-loaded, long-term equity compensation model, under which senior executives receive stock-based awards on a biennial basis rather than through annual grants. As a result, reported pay exhibits significant volatility across reporting periods, depending on the timing of equity issuance and vesting schedules.
Zapolsky has been with Amazon since 1999 and has served as General Counsel since 2012, overseeing legal, compliance, regulatory, and public policy functions globally. Prior to Amazon, he held roles at Dorsey & Whitney LLP, Bogle & Gates, and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, focusing on litigation and white-collar defense, and began his career as a prosecutor at the Kings County District Attorney’s Office.
