As Cracker Barrel CEO Exits, She Takes Security Detail With Her

Julie Masino may soon be gone from Cracker Barrel, but she won't soon be forgotten in its security budget line. The chain will continue to fund personal protection for the outgoing CEO after she leaves the top job in October, and it will do so for what Bloomberg terms "an undetermined stretch of time"—a highly unusual move that underscores how far companies are going to shield leaders amid rising threats. The perk, disclosed in a regulatory filing, follows intense blowback over Cracker Barrel's short-lived effort to rebrand, a shift that drew "woke" accusations and personal attacks on Masino.

Experts say the decision fits a broader pattern. Equilar data show median spending on CEO security at S&P 500 companies has more than tripled since 2021 to roughly $136,000, and about 40% now disclose such benefits. High-profile violence—including the fatal 2024 shooting of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson and an attempted firebombing at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's home—has pushed more firms, even those not seen as lightning rods, to reassess risks. Some packages are far larger: Meta spent $8.5 million on Mark Zuckerberg's security last year. "It was probably a negotiating point, something that she was asking for as part of agreeing to step down," says one compensation consultant of Masino's extended coverage. More on the perks trend here.