Median compensation for CEOs in the S&P 500 reached $171 million in 2024, according to research by Equilar and the Associated Press -- an increase of about 10% from 2023. Meanwhile, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the median American worker has weekly earnings of $1,194 -- which translates to a median salary of $62,088, assuming workers are paid for 52 weeks of labor.
Top 10
The top 10 highest-paid CEOs
The table below highlights 10 highly compensated CEOs (based on 2023 earnings), where they work, and how much they were paid. The table cites compensation actually paid, which the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) now requires companies to disclose. The number is intended to represent total compensation, including defined pension benefits and the actual value of stock awards.
One common thread among the top 10 highest-paid CEOs: They often earn modest salary -- or sometimes no salary at all. The bulk of their compensation comes from equity awards.
| Name | Company (Ticker) | Compensation Actually Paid (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Elon Musk | Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) | $1.403 billion |
| Alexander Karp | Palantir Technologies Inc. (NYSE:PLTR) | $1.099 billion |
| Hock E. Tan | Broadcom (NYSE:AVGO) | $767 million |
| Brian Armstrong | Coinbase Global (NASDAQ:COIN) | $680 million |
| Safra Catz | Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) | $304 million |
| Brian Chesky | Airbnb (NASDAQ:ABNB) | $303 million |
| Jon Winkelried | TPG (NASDAQ:TPG) | $295 million |
| Jeff T. Green | The Trade Desk (NASDAQ:TTD) | $291 million |
| Adam Foroughi | AppLovin (NASDAQ:APP) | $271 million |
| Nikesh Arora | Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) | $266 million |
1. Elon Musk, Tesla: $1.4 billion
Elon Musk is the CEO of electric vehicle (EV) maker Tesla (TSLA 1.15%) and space flight company SpaceX. He also owns X, formerly known as Twitter. Musk's 2023 compensation from Tesla totaled more than $1 billion.
Musk has been a top-earning U.S. executive for several years, even though he does not collect a salary from Tesla. Instead, he earns stock options when the company reaches certain market capitalization and growth milestones. The options allow Musk to buy Tesla stock for $23.33 per share. That's a huge discount from the company's share prices, which have fluctuated between the mid-$200s to over $400 in the first half of 2025.
Musk's options package has faced controversy. In 2024, a Delaware judge ruled the compensation plan illegal and unfair to Tesla shareholders. A few months after the ruling, however, shareholders voted in favor of re-ratifying the package. Tesla's board has since appointed a two-person special committee to review Musk's compensation.
Forbes reported that Musk's net worth exceeded $400 billion as of mid-2025.
2. Alexander Karp, Palantir Technologies: $1.1 billion
Karp runs Palantir Technologies (PLTR -0.33%), which makes artificial intelligence (AI)-powered data analytics software. Unconfirmed reports say the company's Gotham platform played a role in finding Osama bin Laden in 2011.
Today, Palantir has diversified beyond defense and anti-terrorism to serve customers in a range of industries, including retail, telecommunications, automotive, and healthcare. Karp's net worth is an estimated $12.1 billion.
3. Hock E. Tan, Broadcom: $767 million
Tan has been the president and CEO of the semiconductor company Broadcom (NYSE:AVGO) since 2006. Helped by the AI infrastructure buildout, Broadcom has dramatically increased its value in recent years. The company was worth $245 billion in early 2023 and more than $800 billion by the latter half of 2024.
Tan's reported compensation in 2023 was $161 million, consisting of a $1.2 million salary plus a $160.5 million stock award. The higher $767 million amount for compensation actually paid results from adjustments to account for the fair value of the stock awards.
4. Brian Armstrong, Coinbase: $680 million
Armstrong is the co-founder and CEO of cryptocurrency exchange service Coinbase (COIN -0.49%). Coinbase went public in 2021 and reached its peak stock price in the same year. In mid-2025, the stock was trading around its all-time highs in the mid-$300 range. Armstrong also founded the nonprofit Givecrypto.org in 2018 and has signed the Giving Pledge, a commitment to distribute most of his wealth to charitable organizations.
Artificial Intelligence
5. Safra A. Catz, Oracle: $304 million
Catz stepped in as CEO of software company Oracle (ORCL -1.94%) in 2014 after co-founder Larry Ellison resigned from the role. According to SEC filings, Catz has earned a base salary of $950,000 since 2012.
In the fiscal year ending May 31, 2024, Catz also received a cash bonus of $5.2 million. The rest of her compensation consists primarily of equity awards under a plan that has been in place since fiscal 2018. The plan vests stock options when the company meets market capitalization and operational targets.
6. Brian Chesky, Airbnb: $303 million
Chesky is the co-founder and CEO of Airbnb (ABNB -1.19%). In 2023, he earned an annual salary of $1 plus $295,125 in miscellaneous compensation. The rest of his earnings relate to changes in the value of vested and unvested equity awards.
Chesky's personal net worth is estimated at $12.6 billion. Like Armstrong, Chesky has signed the Giving Pledge, committing to donate the net proceeds of his CEO pay to charitable causes.
7. Jon Winkelried, TPG: $295 million
Winkelried has been the CEO of private equity firm TPG (TPG -0.62%) since 2015. The company went public in 2022 and has since more than doubled its stock price under Winkelried's leadership.
Winkelried earned a salary of $509,615 in 2023, plus stock awards of $189 million and other compensation of $13 million. The remaining $100 million or so came from the value-related adjustments required to calculate the compensation actually paid.
8. Jeff T. Green, The Trade Desk: $291 million
Green founded the digital advertising firm The Trade Desk (TTD -1.91%) in 2009 and took the company public in 2016. Adjusting for a split in 2021, The Trade Desk stock traded below $5 in its early days. It now tops $100. Green earned a salary of $1 million in 2023 plus $4.7 million in nonequity incentive compensation. Options and stock awards comprise the remaining value in his compensation package.
Green's net worth is estimated to be $4.3 billion. As with other executives on this list, he has committed via the Giving Pledge to donate 90% of his wealth during his lifetime or at his death.
9. Adam Foroughi, AppLovin: $271 million
Foroughi is the co-founder and CEO of mobile game maker AppLovin (APP -3.25%). He funded the company between 2011 and 2018 before receiving $400 million in capital from private equity firm KKR (KKR -1.35%). AppLovin went public in 2021 and has more than doubled in value since.
Foroughi's 2023 salary was $400,000, so he earns the bulk of his pay from equity awards. His estimated net worth is $5.2 billion.
10. Nikesh Arora, Palo Alto Networks: $266 million
Arora has been chairman and CEO of cybersecurity provider Palo Alto Networks (PANW -2.45%) since mid-2018. Under his leadership, the company has increased its value by more than 400%.
Arora's salary for the fiscal year ending in July 2024 was $1 million. He also earned $1.2 million in nonequity incentive plan compensation and $1.6 million in other compensation. As with most of the highly paid CEOs on this list, equity awards comprise the bulk of his pay package.
10. Theodore Sarandos, Netflix: $61.9 million
Netflix (NFLX -0.4%) CEO Theodore Sarandos took home more than $61.9 million in 2024. That included roughly $42.7 million in stock awards, $12 million in bonuses and incentive pay, and a $3 million base salary.
Female CEOs and black CEOs
Highly paid female CEOs and black CEOs
The list above does not reflect much diversity. Only one woman is included, and no Black CEOs are among the country's highest-paid corporate leadership.
Women CEOs
Fortunately, there is broader representation outside the top 10. Top women executives include Sue Nabi, CEO of Coty (COTY -1.17%); Lisa Su, CEO of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD 1.57%); and Michelle Gass, CEO of Levi Strauss (LEVI 11.2%).
Black CEOs
Highly paid Black CEOs include Christopher C. Womack, CEO of The Southern Company (SO -0.74%); Marvin Ellison, CEO of Lowe's (LOW -1.67%); and Thasunda Brown Duckett, president and CEO of TIAA.
Related investing topics
Nonprofit CEOs
Highly paid nonprofit CEOs
In the nonprofit sector, well-compensated CEOs don't make hundreds of millions -- but some bring home several million annually. Among that elite group are:
- Selwyn Vickers, president/CEO of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Vickers earned more than $5.7 million, including a bonus and incentive compensation of over $2.4 million, in fiscal 2023.
- Robert Stone, CEO of City of Hope & Affiliates. Stone earned nearly $4.6 million, including a bonus and incentive compensation of more than $2.2 million, in fiscal 2023.
- Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association. Brown earned almost $4.4 million, including almost $3.2 million from a bonus and incentive compensation, for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2024.
