Tech CEO compensation hit record levels in 2025 as industry titans were rewarded for leading innovation and growth.
Elon Musk (Tesla & SpaceX) ($23.5 B): Elon Musk dominated the global CEO pay charts in 2025 with an eye-popping compensation linked to long-term stock performance.
Tim Cook (Apple) ($770.5 M): Apple’s Tim Cook earned close to $770.5 million as CEO, reflecting ongoing product and services growth at the tech giant.
Jensen Huang (Nvidia) ($561 M): NVIDIA’s Jensen Huang pulled in about $561 million thanks to massive performance-based rewards tied to AI and GPU leadership.
Reed Hastings (Netflix) ($453.5 M): Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings saw compensation of roughly $453.5 million, driven by streaming success and global subscriber gains.
Leonard Schleifer (Regeneron) ($452.9 M): Biotech and tech crossover leader Leonard Schleifer earned around $452.9 million, showcasing wide CEO pay trends beyond Silicon Valley.
Marc Benioff (Salesforce) ($439.4 M): Salesforce’s Marc Benioff earned about $439.4 million, reflecting strong enterprise cloud growth and strategic execution.
Satya Nadella (Microsoft) ($309.4 M): Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella earned roughly $309.4 million, topping his previous record and recognizing his ongoing AI leadership.
Sundar Pichai (Alphabet) ($280 M): Alphabet’s Sundar Pichai brought in about $280 million, underscoring his role steering Google’s AI and cloud ambitions.