In this piece, we will take a look at the top five highest paid chief executive officers in the world. If you want to understand the dynamics of the labor market and find out about more CEOs, head on over to Top 20 Highest Paid CEOs in the World.
5. Vladimir Tenev
Average Total and Realized Compensation in 2021 & 2022: $399 million
Vladimir Tenev heads one of the more popular applications these days, Robinhood Markets, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOOD). Robinhood has sat right at the heart of the burst in retail trading in the stock market during the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns. As such, the firm has also often found itself at the center of controversy particularly surrounding the GameStop share price stock surge and the resulting short seller rout. Mr. Tenev is quite young, being only 36 years old. He is a graduate of Stanford University, and while he did attempt to pursue a doctorate, he chose to shift focus to practical work instead.
4. Jeff Green
Average Total and Realized Compensation in 2021 & 2022: $420 million
Jeff Green heads the software company The Trade Desk, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTD). The firm enables advertisers to run campaigns and monitor their efficacy through data analysis. He has had an illustrious career in the software industry, having first set up a firm that was eventually acquired by the technology giant Microsoft. However, green would leave his role at Microsoft to set up The Trade Desk, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTD) in 2009.
3. Tim D. Cook
Average Total and Realized Compensation in 2021 & 2022: $484 million
Needing no introduction, Mr. Tim D. Cook heads Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), the largest consumer electronics firm in the world. Apple rakes in hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue each year, and Mr. Cook just takes a small portion of it home. His stock options grants over the years have earned him hundreds of millions of dollars, but Mr. Cook agreed to a pay cut this year keeping in light the tough macroeconomic environment. Insider Monkey’s first quarter of 2023 survey covering 943 hedge funds revealed that 131 had held a stake in Mr. Cook’s firm.
2. Robert Scaringe
Average Total and Realized Compensation in 2021 & 2022: $1.15 billion
Robert Scaringe is the founder and CEO of one of the more popular electric vehicle companies, Rivian Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:RIVN). He is a graduate of the illustrious Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has a doctorate in mechanical engineering. He set up Rivian in 2009 and holds absolute power at the firm. Rivian is headquartered in Irvine, California and it is building electric SUVs, trucks, and vans.
1. Elon Musk
Average Total and Realized Compensation in 2021 & 2022: $11.8 billion
Topping our list of the most paid CEOs is another electric vehicle executive. Elon Musk made billions of dollars by exercising stock options granted over the years in 2021. And, the source of his wealth isn’t only Tesla. He has a 42% stake in SpaceX, and holds the majority control in the company according to recent FCC filings.
Disclosure: None. You can also take a look at 10 Technology Dividend Stocks Billionaires Are Loading Up On and 20 Best Airlines in the World in 2023.
