As part of the contract, Rivera would be paid $21,000 for the work. This was considerably more than the $10,000 he had been paid for "Detroit Industry", which he continued painting even as he was negotiating for "Man at the Crossroads". According to Daniel Okrent, Rivera did not read the fine print of the contract that he signed, which stipulated that in exchange for the $21,000, Rockefeller Center Inc. would hold full ownership of "Man at the Crossroads"; this would lead to a controversy when the work was later removed from the RCA Building.