Highest-Paid CEOs in the U.S. & the World

You'll be shocked to learn how much these executives earn annually.

By Robin Hartill, CFP – Updated May 20, 2026 at 3:34 AM EST | Fact-checked by Frank Bass

Key Points

S&P 500 CEOs average $17M pay; workers at $64K based on 52-week salary.
Top CEOs mainly earn from equity; salary often minimal or zero.
Elon Musk, as highest-paid CEO, could earn up to $1 trillion.

Median compensation for CEOs in the S&P 500 reached $17 million in 2024, according to a report by the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance. Meanwhile, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the median American worker has weekly earnings of $1,235 -- which translates to a median salary of $64,220, assuming workers are paid for 52 weeks of labor.

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A person in a suit is holding a cigar while seated in an expensive-looking leather chair. — Image source: Getty Images.

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The top 10 highest-paid CEOs

The table below highlights 10 highly compensated CEOs (based on 2025 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.

Note: Elon Musk, CEO of electric vehicle (EV) maker Tesla (TSLA -1.43%) and space flight company SpaceX, is still likely the highest-paid CEO in the world, given that his compensation package is potentially worth up to $1 trillion. However, Equilar's latest list only includes companies that had filed proxy statements as of March 31, 2026.

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Data source: Equilar. Totals reflect 2025 compensation.
Name	Company (Ticker)	Compensation Actually Paid (2025)
Niraj Shah	Wayfair (NASDAQ:W)	$280.8 million
Hock E. Tran	Broadcom (NYSE:AVGO)	$205.2 million
Peter Gassner	Veeva Systems Inc. (NYSE:VEEV)	$172.4 million
David Solomon	The Goldman-Sachs Group (NYSE:GS)	$118.8 million
Sridhar Ramaswamy	Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW)	$101.3 million
Nikesh Arora	Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW)	$99.7 million
Satya Nadella	Microsoft Inc. (NASDAQ:MSFT)	$96.4 million
Charles Scharf	Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE:WF)	$94.5 million
Lip-Bu Tan	Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC)	$92.9 million
Robin Vince	The Bank of New York Mellon Corp. (NYSE:BK)	$83.4 million

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1. Niraj Shah, Wayfair: $280.8 million

Niraj Shah, co-founder and CEO of e-commerce home goods retailer Wayfair Inc. (W -3.14%), is the highest-paid CEO for 2025, based on companies that had filed proxy statements by March 31, 2026, and have more than $1 billion in revenue.

Technically, Shah earns an $80,000 salary -- but Shah's compensation skyrocketed by 990% in 2025 after Wayfair's board approved a new pay package consisting of performance stock units. Shah could receive up to 5 million shares valued at more than $1 billion.

2. Hock E. Tan, Broadcom: $205.3 million

Tan has been the president and CEO of the semiconductor company Broadcom (NYSE:AVGO) since 2006. Helped by the AI infrastructure build-out, Broadcom has dramatically increased its value in recent years. The company was worth $245 billion in early 2023 and more than $1.67 trillion by the end of 2025.

Tan's reported compensation in 2025 was almost $205.3 million. Broadcom's CEO earned a $1.2 million salary, with most of his 2025 compensation coming from equity awards.

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3. Peter Gassner, Veeva Systems: $172.4 million

Peter Gassner, CEO of Veeva Systems (VEEV -0.35%), a cloud computing company that focuses on life sciences and pharmaceuticals, earned about $172.4 million in 2025.

Gassner took home $445,833 in annual salary. The remainder of his compensation came almost entirely from stock awards.

4. David Solomon, The Goldman Sachs Group: $118.8 million

David Solomon, CEO and director of The Goldman Sachs Group (GS -1.86%), earned total 2025 compensation of $118.8 million, according to Equilar's calculations -- making him Wall Street's highest-paid CEO.

Solomon received a $2 million salary, a cash bonus of more than $10 million, and around $35 million in equity awards. Solomon was also awarded a one-time $80 million stock bonus in early 2025 as part of a retention agreement in which he'll remain CEO for five years.

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5. Sridhar Ramaswamy, Snowflake Inc: $101.3 million

Sridhar Ramaswamy drew total compensation of $101.3 million in his first full year at the helm of cloud data platform company Snowflake (SNOW +3.14%).

The vast majority of Ramaswamy's compensation -- to the tune of about $99 million -- came from equity awards. Meanwhile, his 2025 salary was just $725,137.

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6. Nikesh Arora, Palo Alto Networks, $99.7 million

Nikesh Arora has been chairman and CEO of cybersecurity provider Palo Alto Networks (PANW -3.00%) since mid-2018.

Arora's salary for the fiscal year ending in July 2025 was $1 million. He also earned a $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.

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7. Satya Nadella, Microsoft: $96.4 million

Microsoft's Satya Nadella earned a pay bump of around 22% in fiscal 2025, bringing his total pay package to roughly $96.4 million.

Nadella earns a $2.5 million salary and also received performance-based cash compensation of more than $9.5 million. The Microsoft CEO's stock awards for the fiscal year exceed $84.2 million.

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8. Charles Scharf, Wells Fargo & Co.: $94.5 million

Wells Fargo CEO Charles Scharf's total 2025 compensation exceeded $94.5 million.

Scharf received annual compensation of $40 million, including a $2.5 million salary and $37.5 million in cash and equity awards. The remainder was largely driven by stock and option awards tied to a special retention grant.

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9. Lip Bu-Tan, Intel Corp.: $92.9 million

Lip-Bu Tan, CEO of Intel (INTC +2.43%), received reported 2025 compensation of almost $93 million, according to Equilar. Tan’s package included a $1 million base salary, a target cash bonus worth up to $2 million, and roughly $89 million in equity compensation, including stock awards, performance stock units, and stock options tied to Intel’s turnaround efforts and long-term stock performance.

10. Robin Vince, The Bank of New York Mellon Corp.: $83.4 million

Robin Vince, CEO of The Bank of New York Mellon Corp., received reported 2025 compensation of roughly $83 million, according to Equilar. Vince’s package included a $1.5 million base salary, roughly $6 million in cash incentive compensation, and a large amount of equity compensation, including stock awards and option awards.

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Highly paid female CEOs and Black CEOs

The list above shows little diversity. Only one woman is included, and no Black CEOs are among the country's highest-paid corporate leadership.

Women CEOs

Top women executives include Lisa Su, CEO of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD -1.63%); Julie Spellman Sweet, CEO of Accenture plc (ACN -0.62%); and Laura Alber, CEO of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (WSM +1.54%).

Black CEOs

Highly paid Black CEOs include Christopher C. Womack, CEO of The Southern Company (SO +0.58%); Marvin Ellison, CEO of Lowe's (LOW +0.16%); and Thasunda Brown Duckett, president and CEO of privately held TIAA.

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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 $6.9 million, including a bonus and incentive compensation of almost $3.5 million, in fiscal 2024.
Robert Stone, CEO of City of Hope & Affiliates. Stone earned over $5.4 million, including a bonus and incentive compensation of more than $2.2 million, plus an additional $1.6 million in deferred compensation.
Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association. Brown earned more than $4.5 million, including about $3.2 million from a bonus and incentive compensation, for the fiscal year that ended Dec. 31, 2024.

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About the Author

Robin Hartill, CFP, is a contributing writer at The Motley Fool. Robin’s work has also been published by Yahoo Finance, USA Today, and Penny Hoarder. She is a graduate of the University of Florida.

TMFRobinHartill

Catherine Brock has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Accenture Plc, Apple, GitLab, KKR, Palantir Technologies, and Tesla. The Motley Fool recommends C3.ai, International Business Machines, and United Parcel Service and recommends the following options: long January 2025 $290 calls on Accenture Plc and short January 2025 $310 calls on Accenture Plc. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Highest-Paid CEOs in 2026

You'll be shocked to learn how much these executives earn annually.

Key Points

The top 10 highest-paid CEOs

1. Niraj Shah, Wayfair: $280.8 million

2. Hock E. Tan, Broadcom: $205.3 million

3. Peter Gassner, Veeva Systems: $172.4 million

4. David Solomon, The Goldman Sachs Group: $118.8 million

5. Sridhar Ramaswamy, Snowflake Inc: $101.3 million

6. Nikesh Arora, Palo Alto Networks, $99.7 million

7. Satya Nadella, Microsoft: $96.4 million

8. Charles Scharf, Wells Fargo & Co.: $94.5 million

9. Lip Bu-Tan, Intel Corp.: $92.9 million

10. Robin Vince, The Bank of New York Mellon Corp.: $83.4 million

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The top 10 highest-paid CEOs

3. Peter Gassner, Veeva Systems: $172.4 million

4. David Solomon, The Goldman Sachs Group: $118.8 million

5. Sridhar Ramaswamy, Snowflake Inc: $101.3 million

6. Nikesh Arora, Palo Alto Networks, $99.7 million

7. Satya Nadella, Microsoft: $96.4 million

8. Charles Scharf, Wells Fargo & Co.: $94.5 million

9. Lip Bu-Tan, Intel Corp.: $92.9 million

10. Robin Vince, The Bank of New York Mellon Corp.: $83.4 million

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Highly paid female CEOs and Black CEOs

Women CEOs

Black CEOs

Highly paid nonprofit CEOs

1. Niraj Shah, Wayfair: $280.8 million

2. Hock E. Tan, Broadcom: $205.3 million