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Are you looking for highest paid CEO in 2024, highest paid CEO in the world, and who is the top highest paid CEO in the world in 2024? We know that everyone is interested to know more about them. They’re an enormous aspiration pool for go-getters to indicate up, work hard and apply their techniques to the highest. Here you will get all the answers. So, stay with us.

Every year the world keeps records and a close eye on the bank balance of the top CEOs (Chief Executive Officers) to know who has gained how much wealth. Other than that, their intrinsic data, knowledge, and paycheques – are inspirations for many to look up to.

These highest-paid CEOs in 2024 apply their techniques to the top and work almost 16 hours a day to achieve their goals. Here we bagged the 10 highest-paid CEO in 2024, their salaries, compensation, and earnings, according to Bloomberg.

If you are looking for highest paid CEO in the world 2024 Forbes, highest-paid CEO in 2022, and why Elon Musk is one of the top highest-paid CEOs in the world, then you have read this article.

The salaries of highest paid CEOs in the world have been a source of contention for some time, with arguments against the enormous sums of money these executives earn. Surely there are advantages to being a boss? I am confident that everyone shares this opinion. The majority of these executives had to earn their way to the top. However, the facts and statistics demonstrate that hard work and determination do not guarantee a salary as large as that of these bosses.

There are different media reports including Forbes, and Bloomberg. Here we bring the highest paid CEOs in the world with their net worth. The table below highlights the eight highest-paid CEOs, as well as where they work and how much they earn.

1. Elon Musk: $221.5 Billion

Elon Musk is the eccentric CEO of Tesla, an electric car company. His 2020 compensation package was worth more than $6.6 billion.

Musk has been the highest paid CEO in the United States for three years in a row, despite not receiving a salary from Tesla. Instead, he is compensated with stock options when the company reaches certain market capitalization and growth milestones. These options allow Musk to purchase Tesla stock, which was trading at nearly $1,200 per share at the start of January 2022, for an incredible $70 per share.

This performance-based arrangement has been a win-win situation for Musk, who is said to be net worth $260 billion.

2. Mike Pykosz: $568 million

Pykosz is the CEO of Oak Street Health, which runs primary care clinics for Medicare patients. Oak Street Health granted Pykosz stock and option awards in 2020 as part of his previous year’s compensation and the company’s conversion from a partnership to a C corp. That activity increased his total package for the year.

Stock and option awards were also substantial, totaling more than $500 million. However, Pykosz earned an enviable salary of nearly $580,000, plus more than $390,000 in bonus pay.

3. Trevor Bezdek: $497 million

Bezdek is the CEO of GoodRx, a company that helps people find lower-cost prescription drugs. His co-CEO is the fourth-highest-paid CEO on our list, earning just a few thousand dollars less than Bezdek in 2020.

In 2020, Bezdek’s salary and bonus pay totaled around $980,000. He also received stock awards totaling nearly $500 million.

4. Douglas Hirsch: $497 million

In 2020, Hirsch, co-CEO of GoodRx, received the same salary, bonus, and stock awards as Bezdek. The minor difference between the two CEOs’ total compensation packages is due to perks. While Bezdek received approximately $9,500 in perks, Hirsch received less than $7,000.

5. Eric Wu: $388 million

Wu is the CEO of the real estate firm Opendoor Technologies. The company, which will go public in December 2020, buys and sells homes through its Opendoor app. Wu’s compensation increased 134,000% from the previous year as a result of the initial public offering (IPO).

The majority of Wu’s $388 million salaries was made up of stock awards, as one might expect. He did make $189,000 per year. However, in terms of CEO pay, that level of cash compensation is modest. Wu’s salary, excluding Musk, is the lowest on our list by about $300,000.

6. Robert Antokol: $281 Million

Robert Antokol is the CEO and co-founder of Playtika, a digital entertainment company based in Israel that specializes in the development and distribution of mobile casino games. Antokol is one of the world’s highest-paid CEOs. According to reports, he received $372 million in compensation from the company.

7. Alex Karp: $369 million

Karp is the CEO of Palantir Technologies, a data analysis software company. Palantir, like Opendoor, went public in 2020. The company granted Karp 141 million options that vest quarterly shortly before its IPO.

Karp received more than $250 million in stock and option awards as a result of that pre-IPO grant. He also received a $1.1 million salary plus $3.1 million in benefits.

8. Geoffrey Price: $356.2 million

Geoffrey Price has been the CEO and a board member of Oak Street Health since 2012. Prior to co-founding this company, he worked as a consultant (2010-2012), and project leader for Boston Consulting Group (2012- 2013). He is an American national.

At Oak Street Health, he earns more than $356.2 million per year. Price, 40, graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

9. Sundar Pichai: $280.6 million

Sundar Pichai’s annual salary as Alphabet and Google CEO is $280.6 million. He was appointed in October 2015 and joined the Board of Directors in July 2017. Furthermore, the CEO received a $240 million stock package in 2019, which will vest in 2024. His nationality is Indian.

Sundar Pichai holds a bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, a master’s degree in materials science and engineering from Stanford University, and an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. He joined Google in 2004 as a material engineer, and some of his Google projects include Chrome, Gmail, Google Maps, and Android.

10. Tim Cook: $265 million

After Steve Jobs died in 2011, Cook took over as CEO of Apple. For several years, he has been a regular on lists of the highest paid CEOs.

Cook’s total annual compensation in 2020 is expected to be around $265 million. Cook’s $3 million CEO salary would be attractive to most people, but it pales in comparison to his $10.7 million bonus and $250 million in stock awards.

Above we discussed and learned about the top 10 highest-paid CEO in 2024 in the world. Now we will tell you who is on the list of the top 20 highest paid CEOs in the world. Are you excited to know who are the next richest person (2024) in the world. So, stay tuned to know more about successful people.

Who are on the list of the top 20 highest paid CEOs in 2024 in the world?

The majority of the world’s highest paid CEOs work for companies that are at the forefront of new technologies and inventions. Because several of these businesses have pioneered historical advancements, the finest CEOs are inherently intelligent and academic giants.

Here are some intriguing facts about them who are among the world’s top 20 highest paid CEOs: 

11. David Zaslav: $246 million

Before the Warner Media merger this year, David Zaslav’s 2021 payment increased to $246 million (from $37.7 million in 2020 and $45.8 million in 2019). In a regulatory filing, Discovery Inc. disclosed the CEO’s and other senior executives’ compensation. David has been the CEO of Discovery since January 2007.

He was born in New York and attended law school at Boston University. He briefly practiced law before joining NBC Universal as president of Cable and Domestic Television for 20 years.

12. Chad Richison: $220 million

Richison is the CEO of Paycom, an online payroll software company. His reported $220 million salary is impressive, but there is a catch. Richison received an $829,000 CEO salary and bonus in 2020, as well as $736,000 in perks. However, the remaining $218 million of his total compensation package is made up of restricted stock awards.

Richison can only gain access to those shares if Paycom meets certain aggressive share price targets. So, while Richison appears to be among the highest-paid CEOs on paper, he may not receive the majority of his 2020 reported compensation.

13. Amir Dan Rubin: $199.05 million

His salary is $199 Million from 1Life Healthcare, Inc. (One Medical). He is a citizen of the United States and is 50 years old. Amir Dan Rubin is the President and CEO of 1Life Healthcare, Inc from January 2016 to August 2017. As the CEO of 1Life Healthcare Inc., Rubin made $199 million in total compensation.

14. Satya Nadella: $49.8 million

Microsoft’s executive chairman and CEO is Satya Nadella. In 2014, he succeeded Steve Ballmer as CEO, and in 2021, he will succeed John W. Thompson as Chairman. His annual salary exceeds $49.8 million dollars. Satya was born in India, attended Hyderabad Public School in Begumpet, and graduated from Manipal Institute of Technology with a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.

He relocated to the United States to pursue an MS in computer science at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, as well as an MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

15. Shantanu Narayan: $45.9 million

Shantanu has been the CEO of Adobe Inc. since December 2007, and the company’s president and COO since 2005. He earns a total annual salary of more than $45.9 million. The company’s annual revenue is approximately $11.2 billion. Narayen was born into a Telugu-speaking family in Hyderabad, India. His mother taught American literature, and his father was the owner of a plastics company. He was sent to Hyderabad Public School.

Shantanu received his Bachelor’s degree in electronics and communications engineering from Osmania University’s University College of Engineering in Hyderabad. He then moved to the United States to pursue an MBA at the University of California, Berkeley.

Narayen’s first significant job was at Apple. He later worked for Silicon Graphics as the director of Desktop and Collaboration Products before joining Adobe in 1998 as Senior Vice-President of Worldwide Product Research.

16. Miguel Patricio: $43.2 million

Miguel Patricio is also set to be one of the highest-paid CEOs in 2024. He is the CEO of Kraft Heinz and earns a total compensation of more than $43.2 million. Patricio has been the CEO of the company since 2019 and a member of the board since 2021.

He was born in Portugal but moved to Brazil to attend San Paulo Business School. Patricio also worked for Philip Morris International, Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson, and Anheuser-Busch InBev.

17. Bill McDermott: $41.7 million

Bill McDermott is the CEO of ServiceNow, a software startup. His annual salary is more than $41.7 million dollars. He was previously the CEO of SAP SE, a technology business. At the age of 16, he purchased a Deli Gourmet in Long Island for around $7,000 and started his first business. McDermott then went to Dowling College to study Business Management while working his business to pay for his tuition.

18. Lachlan Murdoch: $27.7 million

The CEO and executive chairman of Fox Corporation received $27.7 million in total annual salary, down from $29.2 million in 2020. (2021). Lachlan is also the co-chairman of News Corporation, the executive chairman of Nova Entertainment, and the founder of Illyria Pty Ltd, an Australian investment firm.

Lachlan graduated from Princeton University with a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy. In Australia, he met his father and received training at the Daily Mirror. Rupert Murdoch, his father, was a wealthy man. At the age of 22, Lachlan was named general manager of Queensland Newspapers, and at the age of 23, he was named publisher of Australia’s first national newspaper, The Australian.

19. Bob Swan – $66.9 million

Swan graduated from Corcoran High School before earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University at Buffalo School of Management and a master’s degree in business administration from Binghamton University.

He worked with eBay, Electronic Data Systems, and TRW Inc. as a CFO. In October 2016, the outstanding businessman moved from General Atlantic to Intel as CFO, then from January 2019 until February 15, 2021, he served as CEO.

Swan is no longer a CEO, but his legacy as the highest-paid CEO in history will live on. His total remuneration at Intel in 2019 was more than $66.9 million.

20. John C. Plant: $39.1 million

John Plant is the chairman and CEO of Howmet Aerospace Inc, where he earns more than $39.1 million each year. He has extensive experience in the automobile business. Lucas Varity PLC, Trw Inc, and Arconic Inc are among the companies where he has held executive positions.

Why is Elon Musk top Highest Paid CEO in 2024?

Elon Musk’s name will not appear on any of the lists of the highest-paid CEOs in 2020. Nonetheless, according to Forbes, he is the highest-paid CEO of them all.

According to Forbes, Musk was paid approximately $11 billion in 2020, all in Tesla TSLA -6.8 per cent stock options granted to him as part of the audacious compensation plan he signed with the electric carmaker in 2018. That plan, which was initially valued at $2.3 billion, was spread out over a decade. However, it did not take effect until 2020. Elon Musk still remains highest paid CEO in 2024 in the world.

The options awards detailed in the 2018 plan were contingent on Tesla meeting various market capitalization and revenue or Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) milestones. Overall, Musk’s compensation package includes options that grant him the right to purchase a total of 101.2 million Tesla shares at a split-adjusted price of $70 per share. (Tesla stock is currently trading above $670 per share.) The compensation package is divided into 12 tranches, each of which can only be unlocked once Tesla reaches certain milestones.

The first four tranches of Musk’s options vested in 2020, as Tesla reached various market capitalization and operational milestones and its stock increased sevenfold, astronomically increasing Musk’s fortune. The Tesla CEO is the richest person in the world. Elon Musk net worth was $165.7 billion as of May 5, 2021, up from $24.6 billion in mid-March 2020. But as of 2024 Elon Musk net worth reached $271.3 billion in 2024.

Each of the 12 tranches of options vests based on both rising market capitalization goals and operational milestones relating to annualized revenue or adjusted Ebitda growth. The market capitalization milestones are based on a trailing monthly average, starting at $100 billion and increasing by $50 billion increments thereafter—but Tesla blew those out of the water, reaching a market capitalization of more than $650 billion by the end of 2020. In addition, each quarter, a financial metric—either revenue or adjusted EBITDA growth—must be met. Tesla achieved four of these goals by the end of 2020, reaching $20 billion in annualized revenue and increasing adjusted Ebitda from less than $1.5 billion to $4.5 billion.

Each tranche of options grants Musk the right to buy 8.4 million Tesla shares. According to Forbes, the Tesla CEO received a total option payout of $13.3 billion last year. Forbes calculated the value of these various option awards using Tesla’s stock price at the time each tranche of options was vested and was approved by the Tesla board. It will cost Musk approximately $2.36 billion to exercise the options; net of those costs, Forbes calculates that the options added $11 billion to Musk’s fortune.

Here’s what the New York Times report found about 10 highest paid CEOs in 2020:

1. Chad Richison: $211.13 million (as of 2020)

We discussed Chad Richison above in the report that he is one of the top highest paid CEOs in the world, according to the Bloomberg. In 2019, Elon Musk emerged as the highest-paid CEO in the tech industry in 2022.

Richison started his career in sales with an ADP, which is the largest and best-known payroll processing company in the United States. Later Richison returned his family to Oklahoma and founded Paycom in 1998.

2. Amir Dan Rubin – $199.05 million

Amir Dan Rubin has been also discussed earlier in this report. Being a businessperson, he is one of the 10 highest-paid CEOs in the world. Rubin has worked as an Executive Vice President at UnitedHealth Group, a publicly-traded healthcare company, from January 2016 to August 2017.

3. John Legere – $137.2 million

Born on 4 June 1958, John Legere is an American businessman. He is the former CEO and president of T-Mobile U.S. Prior to that, he served for AT&T, Dell, and Global Crossing. Later in April 2020, he resigned as the CEO after approval of the merger of T-Mobile and Sprint.

4. Larry Culp – $73.19 million

Lawrence (Larry) Culp, is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of General Electric. Larry is GE’s 12th CEO and 11th Chairman. He has served General Electric’s board of directors since April 2018 and in October 2018, he joined the GE Company as the CEO.

Before joining General Electric, Larry served as the president and CEO of Danaher Corporation for four years in 2000. During his 2000-2014 term the company increased both its revenues and its market capitalization five-fold. The investors and analysts consistently ranked him as one of the Top CEOs in annual Institutional Investor surveys. Additionally, Harvard Business Review named Larry one of the Top 50 CEOs in the world. Thus, he became the highest-paid CEO.

5. Chris Nassetta – $55.87 million

Christopher J. Nassetta is the President and CEO of Hilton. He joined the company in 2007 and prior to this Nassetta was President and CEO of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. he held this position since 2000. Before he joined Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc., Nassetta co-founded Bailey Capital Corporation in 1991.

Prior to founding Bailey Capital Corporation, he served 7 years at The Oliver Carr Company. He was responsible for all the development works and related activities for one of the largest commercial real estate companies in the mid-Atlantic region.

6. Mike Sievert – $54.91 million

Mike Sievert is the president and CEO of T-Mobile U.S. Also, he is a member of the company’s board of directors. He has become the CEO of T-Mobile in April 2020. The same day T-Mobile shut its merger with Sprint.

7. Greg Maffei – $47.12 million

Being an American businessman, Greg Maffei is the president and the highest-paid CEO of Liberty Media. The corporation owns media and entertainment businesses. Additionally, Greg Maffei is the Chairman of Live Nation Entertainment, Sirius XM, and TripAdvisor. Also, he is the chairman emeritus of Starz and Expedia, and the former chief financial officer of Oracle and Microsoft.

8. Reed Hastings – $43.23 million

As an American businessman, Reed Hastings has become co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Netflix. Moreover, he sits on a number of boards and non-profit organizations. Born in October 1960 in Massachusetts, U.S. Hastings was a former member of the California State Board of Education. Also, Hastings aged 6 years is an advocate for education reform through charter schools.

9. Ted Sarandos – $39.32 million

Ted Sarandos, actual name Theodore Anthony Sarandos Jr. serves as the co-CEO and Chief Content Officer for Netflix. Born on 30 July 1964, Sarandos attended Glendale Community College in Glendale, Arizona. In 1999, Sarandos met with Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and joined Netflix in 2000. He has also been overseeing Netflix’s original programming and entertainment efforts.

10. Robert Bakish – $38.97 million

Being an American business executive, Robert Bakish has become President and highest-paid CEO of ViacomCBS since December 4, 2019. He held the same post at Viacom before the merger with CBS Corporation. Bakish, aged 57, joined Viacom as Vice President of Planning and Development in 1997. In October 1999, he became the Executive Vice President of Planning and Business Development of Viacom’s MTV Networks.

We’ll bring attention here to you about the highest paid CEOs in the world in 2019. This report was based on the report of the Bloomberg Pay Index.

1. Elon Musk – $595.3 million (as of 2019)

We discussed Elon Musk above in the report that he is the top among highest paid CEOs in the world, according to Bloomberg. In 2019, Elon Musk emerged as the highest-paid CEO in the tech industry.

For the uninitiated, Musk is the CEO of Tesla, and based on the corporate’s website, he leads product design, engineering, and international manufacturing of Tesla’s electrical autos, battery merchandise, and photovoltaic power merchandise. Notably, Elon Musk can also be CEO of Neuralink, and beforehand co-founded and bought PayPal.

2. Tim Cook – $133.7 million

Like Elon Musk we have already discussed Tim Cook here in the report as he is one of the top highest paid CEOs in the world in 2022.

Apple’s CEO and ex-Chief Working Officer, Tim Cook ranked second among the highest-paid CEO in the tech business. Based on Bloomberg, before becoming a member of Apple, Cook has already been in the tech biz for over a decade.

3. Thomas Rutledge – $116.9 million

Thomas Rutledge or Tom Rutledge is the Chairman and CEO of Constitution Communications, a cable firm. He started his profession in 1977 at American TV and Communications (ATC), a predecessor of Time Warner Cable. Rutledge served in many alternative capacities, finally turning into President of Time Warner Cable.

4. Joseph Ianniello – $116.6 million

Joseph Ianniello is the former chairman and the highest-paid CEO of the CBS Leisure Group for ViacomCBS. He began his career at CBS in 1997 as the Director of Monetary Planning. Also, according to Variety’s report, he took home $125.4 million in compensation and severance payments from ViacomCBS.

5. Sumit Singh – $108.2 million 

Sumit Singh is the CEO and Director of Chewy, Inc., an e-commerce company. Prior to joining Chewy, Sumit held senior leadership roles at Amazon and Dell. He obtained a Masters in Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He also held an MBA degree from the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business.

Chewy, under Sumit’s leadership, is positioned to become the most trusted and convenient destination for pet parents (and partners). According to Chewy website, Chewy’s recent accolades include designation as a “Top 10 Employer Brand” in Boston in both 2019 and 2020, Newsweek’s recognition for “America’s Best Customer Service” for the past three consecutive years (2019-2021), Ad Age’s distinction as one of “America’s 20 Hottest Brands 2020,” and Comparably’s 2020 top rankings for Best Company Culture and Best Companies for Women.

For a long time, the salaries of the top highest-paid CEOs 2024 in the world have been a source of contention, with arguments made against the large sums of money these big bosses receive. Isn’t it true that being a boss has its advantages? I’m sure everyone shares that viewpoint. Most of these executives had to work their way up. However, facts and statistics have shown that hard work and determination will not guarantee you such a large paycheck as these bosses.

As a result, today you have learned here about the top 20 highest paid CEOs in the world. Actually, these highest paid CEOs are in the list of highest paid CEOs 2024 in the United States, and richest CEOs 2024 in the world too. This list includes several well-known names from around the world, including Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.