10 of the highest-paid CEOs in the US – their salaries, ranked: from Apple’s Tim Cook to the CEOs of Microsoft and Adobe – and one female leader with a 9-figure compensation package

May 23 , 2024

Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and Coty CEO Sue Y. Nabi rake in plenty of dough. Photos: Getty Images, AFP

It should come as no surprise that it pays to climb your way to the top of the organisational hierarchy.

The highest-paid CEOs in the US aren’t necessarily household names – even if their companies might be – but they’re enjoying some pretty sweet pay packages. But, to receive their hefty payouts, CEOs often have to achieve targets such as stock price thresholds.

About halfway through this year’s proxy season, Equilar, the company that analyses data on executive compensation, has revealed that the median compensation package for American CEOs was valued at a cool US$23.7 million in 2023, a jump of 11.4 per cent from the previous year. The data was based on proxy statements filed through March 31.

The jump in compensation was stronger than the 7.7 per cent increase CEOs overall saw at this point last year, according to Equilar data.

Here are some of the highest-paid – and highest-profile – CEOs.

1. Hock Tan, CEO of Broadcom

Estimated compensation: US$161.8 million

Hock Tan, CEO of Broadcom Ltd, with former US president Donald Trump at a press conference at the White House, in November 2017. Photo: Bloomberg

The value of Malaysia-born Tan’s total compensation jumped to US$161.8 million in 2023, a 167 per cent increase over the previous year. The pay ratio – how much more he takes home than the average employee of the chip and software maker – was 510 to one.

The company had US$35.8 billion in revenue in the financial year of 2023. Tan announced in 2017 that Broadcom would move its headquarters to the US from Singapore; the move was finalised in 2018, per Reuters.

2. Nikesh Arora, Palo Alto Networks

Estimated compensation: US$151.4 million

Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora attends the Asia Society Southern California 2023 annual gala at Skirball Cultural Center in May 2023, in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Getty Images

The value of Arora’s total compensation as CEO of the cybersecurity company came to US$151.4 million, a surge of 1,355 per cent. The CEO-to-worker pay ratio was 735 to one.

Palo Alto Networks’ revenue reached US$6.89 billion in fiscal 2023. The company’s share price rose 20 per cent year on year after doubling down on its mission of the “platformatization of cybersecurity”, per Yahoo! Finance.

3. Sue Y. Nabi, CEO of Coty

Estimated compensation: US$149.4 million

Coty CEO Sue Y. Nabi attends the Infiniment Coty Paris event at Somerset House in October 2023, in London, England. Photo: Getty Images

Nabi runs the beauty company Coty. The value of her compensation package was US$149.4 million, an increase of 4,100 per cent, per Equilar. The CEO-to-worker pay ratio was 3,769 to one. Revenue came to US$5.55 billion in the financial year of 2023.

4. Christopher Winfrey, CEO of Charter Communications

Estimated compensation: US$89.1 million

Charter Communications CEO Christopher Winfrey in an official photo. Photo: Handout

Winfrey, who took the top spot at the cable company in December 2022, landed a total compensation valued at US$89.1 million. The boss-to-worker pay ratio was 1,635 to one.

In the financial year of 2023, Charter Communications’ revenue came to US$54.6 billion. The company recently announced that customers who port their phone numbers to subsidiary mobile phone operator Spectrum Mobile will have their existing phone balance paid off, up to US$2,500.

5. Will Lansing, CEO of Fair Isaac Corporation

Estimated compensation: US$66.3 million

Lansing runs Fair Isaac Corporation, which developed FICO, the most broadly used model for scoring credit. The value of his total compensation came to US$66.3 million, an increase of 251 per cent. The CEO-to-worker pay ratio was 653 to one. The company’s revenue totalled US$1.5 billion in the financial year of 2023.

In a statement sent to us, a FICO spokesperson said, “Under Mr Lansing’s leadership the past 10 years, FICO has delivered total shareholder return that is in the top 1 per cent of the S&P 500. Meanwhile, his base salary for 2023 was US$750,000, well below industry peers and in the bottom quartile of S&P 500 CEOs.”

6. Tim Cook, CEO of Apple

Estimated compensation: US$63.2 million

Apple CEO Tim Cook arrives for a meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, in April. Photo: AP Photo

Cook’s total compensation for running the tech giant was valued at US$63.2 million, a drop of 36 per cent. The CEO-to-employee pay ratio at Apple was 672 to one. The company’s revenue totalled US$383.3 billion in the financial year of 2023.

7. Jay Chaudhry, CEO of Zscaler

Estimated compensation: US$57.8 million

Zscaler CEO Jay Chaudhry appears in a photo posted to the company’s Facebook account. Photo: @ZScaler/Facebook

The value of Chaudhry’s compensation package for running the cybersecurity company rose 39 per cent to US$57.8 million, while the CEO-to-worker pay ratio stood at 319 to one. The company’s revenue reached US$1.6 billion in the financial year of 2023.

8. Hamid Moghadam, CEO of Prologis

Estimated compensation: US$50.9 million

Prologis CEO Hamid Moghadam in an official company photo. Photo: Handout

Moghadam’s compensation package at the logistics real estate company was valued at US$50.9 million, an increase of 6 per cent, and the CEO-to-worker pay ratio was 400 to one. The company’s revenue in the financial year of 2023 came to US$8 billion.

9. Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft

Estimated compensation: US$48.5 million

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella gestures during a session at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, in January. Photo: AFP

Nadella, who was a key witness in the American government’s antitrust case against Google, received a total compensation valued at US$48.5 million, a drop of 12 per cent. The chief-to-worker ratio was 250 to one. The software giant’s revenue was US$211.9 billion in the financial year of 2023.

10. Shantanu Narayen, CEO of Adobe

Estimated compensation: US$44.9 million

Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen conducts a media briefing at the company’s offices in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay. Photo: Handout

Narayen’s compensation package was valued at US$44.9 million, an increase of 42 per cent. The CEO-to-worker package for the software company was 229 to one. The company’s financial year of 2023 revenue totalled US$19.4 billion.

This article originally appeared on Business Insider

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