Just because you're heading one of the world's top technology companies doesn't necessarily mean you're the highest-paid CEO. A recent report ranked the top 10 CEOs based on actual compensation paid (CAP). Interestingly, only one CEO is from India, and it's not Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella or Google CEO Sundar Pichai.
Nikesh Arora, chairman and CEO of Palo Alto Networks, is the only Indian-origin Silicon Valley executive to feature in the list of the top 10 highest-paid CEOs in the US, according to a C-Suite Comp report.
Interestingly, Pichai and Nadella did not make the list, despite their companies' impressive track record in advancing AI.
Top 10 highest paid CEOs in America
The list shows two matrices: “total disclosed compensation” and “actual compensation paid” for 2023. Mr. Arora's total disclosed compensation for 2023 is over $151.4 million, while his actual total compensation paid is over $266.4 million, ranking him 10th on the list.
Arora, an alumnus of Delhi's Air Force Public School, was Google's chief operating officer before leaving the company in 2014 to head SoftBank in Japan and, since 2018, has been at the helm of cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks.
Topping the list is Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who is set to make more than $1.4 billion in 2023. Palantir Technologies' Alexander Karp is set to make more than $1.1 billion. See the full list below.
Nikesh Arora, chairman and CEO of Palo Alto Networks, is the only Indian-origin Silicon Valley executive to feature in the list of the top 10 highest-paid CEOs in the US, according to a C-Suite Comp report.
Interestingly, Pichai and Nadella did not make the list, despite their companies' impressive track record in advancing AI.
Top 10 highest paid CEOs in America
The list shows two matrices: “total disclosed compensation” and “actual compensation paid” for 2023. Mr. Arora's total disclosed compensation for 2023 is over $151.4 million, while his actual total compensation paid is over $266.4 million, ranking him 10th on the list.
Arora, an alumnus of Delhi's Air Force Public School, was Google's chief operating officer before leaving the company in 2014 to head SoftBank in Japan and, since 2018, has been at the helm of cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks.
Topping the list is Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who is set to make more than $1.4 billion in 2023. Palantir Technologies' Alexander Karp is set to make more than $1.1 billion. See the full list below.
| Rank | name | company | compensation |
| 1 | Elon Musk | Tesla | 1.4 billion |
| 2 | Alexander Karp | Palantir Technologies | 1.1 billion |
| 3 | Hock tongue | Broadcom | 767.7 million |
| Four | Brian Armstrong | Coinbase Global | 680.9 million |
| Five | Safra Katsu | Oracle | 304.1 million |
| 6 | Brian Chesky | Airbnb | 303.5 million |
| 7 | John Winkelried | TPG | 295.1 million |
| 8 | Jeff Green | Trade Desk | 291.7 million |
| 9 | Adam Forougi | Aprobin | 271.3 million |
| Ten | Nikesh Arora | Palo Alto Networks | 266.4 million |
Nikesh Arora takes second place on The Wall Street Journal's 2023 list
Arora ranked second on The Wall Street Journal's 2023 list of the highest-paid CEOs in the U.S., with total compensation of $151.43 million, most of which came from stock options.
The report highlights the overrepresentation of Indian-origin executives among the top earners, with 17 of them making it into the top 500. Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen is another Indian-origin executive, coming in 11th with $44.93 million.
Musk and Pichai (who was born in India) opted for non-traditional compensation structures in 2023, with Musk reportedly receiving no compensation and Pichai earning $8.8 million, while Facebook co-founder and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg made $24.4 million.
