Matthew McConaughey Is Making $10 Million A Year But Not From Making Movies And It’s Getting Him Some Serious Backlash
Salesforce has hired Matthew McConaughey as a creative advisor, and since the hire comes after the company laid off 8,000 employees, people are upset.
In 2023, it’s safe to say that Matthew McConaughey is doing alright, alright, alright! Well, financially speaking, The Lincoln Lawyer star (or is it the Lincoln driver?) is no stranger to using his likeness to sell a product, but his recent deal with Salesforce may be landing his reputation in some hot water for the time being. A recent Business Insider article goes into the backlash the Serenity star is facing in light of his $10 million a year deal to work as a creative adviser for the tech company despite the fact they laid off 8,000 employees last month.
By the sounds of it, Matthew McConaughey has landed himself a pretty sweet gig acting as a “creative advisor and TV pitchman” for the tech giant. To the public eye, this lucrative relationship began with last year’s Super Bowl ad, which cost a whopping $5 million to run. Celebrity endorsements are nothing new, and they cost a pretty penny, and the backlash isn’t necessarily in regard to how much McConaughey stands to make off the deal but rather how that money could have been used elsewhere in the company.
An important thing to consider is that the 70,000-employee company wouldn’t be teaming up with Matthew McConaughey if they didn’t see the potential for a return on their investment. While massive layoffs are never a good look, it’s ultimately marketing that creates brand awareness, drives sales, and creates more jobs in the long run — though people are right to be angry by what seems to be a massive budget that has been earmarked to retain the star. Without knowing the full inner financial workings of Salesforce, it’s hard to tell what their long game is, but let’s hope that McConaughey’s payroll comes with the promise of eventual expansion.
Matthew McConaughey has been acting in both television and film since 1993, and the True Detective star doesn’t seem to be approaching a stopping point any time soon. But it’s worth noting that he’s also kept busy as a spokesperson for Dolce & Gabbana men’s fragrance, Stetson perfumes, and most recently and famously, Lincoln Motor Company. While a star of the actor’s caliber doesn’t seem to need any other pay bumps, it’s worth noting that McConaughey also plays an active role in charity with his Just Keep Livin’ foundation that implements after-school fitness programs in over 40 inner-city high schools.
Salesforce is also known for using high-profile names to raise awareness for their product suite, and have associated with Tim Cook, Emilia Clarke, and even former President Barack Obama at one of their massive days-long conferences. But with great star power comes even greater budget implications and, in this case, even greater backlash. While we hope this latest Matthew McConaughey deal will mean growth for Salesforce, we still can’t help but wonder if any of those 8,000 jobs could have been saved if the company had made different investments.
In the meantime, it has been a bit quiet on the movie front for Matthew McConaughey after his most recent effort, Dallas Sting, was canceled due to disturbing allegations. While the allegations don’t necessarily have to do with the production staff, the research that was done for the film uncovered information about the people it was based on, which was decided to be problematic. After production halted, it’s no wonder the Interstellar star is looking for new gigs.
