As a principle-based standard, IFRS, and in particular fair value accounting, brings challenges to less-developed emerging markets. Since IFRS adoption in China, managers’ incentives to make use of discretion and respond to the more symmetric reflection of both good news and bad news have given rise to an increase in earnings management and a decrease in accounting conservatism. Increased earnings management polishes accounting performance, which makes managers’ effort more opaque to investors and boards, and reduces the weight of accounting performance in executive compensation. However, decreasing accounting conservatism makes accounting earnings more natural and timely, recognizing both good news and bad news, which can improve internal evaluation based on accounting performance. This study provides evidence on these joint effects of IFRS adoption concerning the sensitivity of executive compensation to accounting performance.