[cynicalkane]

Imagine if you worked for BigCo, and one day your boss says to you, "You're fired... and we're also taking back your stock options and severance pay."

Because that's what you're proposing doing to a CEO. Yeah, they're rich and proportionally more of their pay is comprised of non-salary items. Oh well. Yeah, you don't like what HP executive management did to the company. I agree, it sucks. But in the real world, people negotiate trading work for pay, and you can't just yank it back because you didn't like the work.

(Unless you negotiate some provision to do so, which some companies do. But not HP.)

[pessimist]

Well, if I get fired, my unvested stock options certainly dont suddenly vest. And I dont get any severance pay. So yes, I propose that CEO's get exactly that treatment.

[cynicalkane]

I'd say it's time for you to negotiate yourself to another company. Severance pay, at least, should be standard.

(Edit: I'm taking the inference you're working for a big company. If you're working for a startup, we're talking about a whole 'nother world.)