Top 17 Highest Earning CEOs in 2025 

These CEOs don’t just cash checks, they collect headlines, lawsuits, and controversy by the truckload. From Musk’s Mars-mission mindset to Goei’s cable crunch, this high-flying crew blends boardroom brilliance with public backlash. 

Their salaries dwarf most countries’ GDP per capita and so does their salary in comparison to the African CEOs . 

1. Elon Musk (Tesla)

• Salary: ~$23.5 billion (mostly stock options)
  
• Achievements: Revolutionized EVs; led Tesla, SpaceX, and Neuralink while expanding into AI and robotics.
  
• Controversies: Faced court challenges over compensation and criticism for splitting focus across companies.
  
• Years as CEO: Since ~2008.
  

2. Tim Cook (Apple)

• Salary: ~$770.5 million
  
• Achievements: Oversaw the launch of major Apple products, expanding services and global revenue.
  
• Controversies: Under fire for manufacturing practices and slowing innovation.
  
• Years as CEO: Since 2011.
  

3. Jensen Huang (NVIDIA)

• Salary: ~$561 million
  
• Achievements: Co-founded NVIDIA; led the AI boom by dominating the GPU market.
  
• Controversies: Pay package criticized during periods of market volatility.
  
• Years as CEO: Since 1993.
  

4. Reed Hastings (Netflix)

• Salary: ~$453.5 million
  
• Achievements: Grew Netflix from DVD rentals to a global streaming leader.
  
• Controversies: Faced criticism for content spending and slowing subscriber growth.
  
• Years as CEO: Since the late 1990s.
  

5. Leonard Schleifer (Regeneron)

• Salary: ~$452.9 million
  
• Achievements: Drove development of breakthrough drugs, especially during COVID-19.
  
• Controversies: Scrutiny over high drug pricing and CEO compensation.
  
• Years as CEO: Since 1988.
  

6. Marc Benioff (Salesforce)

• Salary: ~$439.4 million
  
• Achievements: Pioneered cloud CRM; led major tech acquisitions and social initiatives.
  
• Controversies: Pay questioned amidst plateauing company growth.
  
• Years as CEO: Since 1999.
  

7. Satya Nadella (Microsoft)

• Salary: ~$309.4 million
  
• Achievements: Transformed Microsoft via Azure, AI, and a modernized product suite.
  
• Controversies: Internal concerns over workplace conduct and compensation.
  
• Years as CEO: Since 2014.
  

8. Robert A. Kotick (Activision Blizzard)

• Salary: ~$296.7 million
  
• Achievements: Built Activision into a gaming giant with massive IPs.
  
• Controversies: Intense backlash over toxic workplace culture and lawsuits.
  
• Years as CEO: Since 1991.
  

9. Hock E. Tan (Broadcom)

• Salary: ~$288 million
  
• Achievements: Expanded Broadcom through aggressive acquisitions in chips and software.
  
• Controversies: Criticized for mass layoffs and R&D cutbacks.
  
• Years as CEO: Since 2006.
  

10. Sundar Pichai (Alphabet)

• Salary: ~$280 million
  
• Achievements: Led Alphabet’s push into AI, cloud, and hardware.
  
• Controversies: Regulatory pressure and internal dissent over content moderation.
  
• Years as CEO: Since 2019 (Alphabet), 2015 (Google).
  

11. Alex Karp (Palantir)

• Salary: ~$1.1 billion (2024); similar scale in 2025
  
• Achievements: Built Palantir into a leading data analytics firm with big government contracts.
  
• Controversies: Ethical debates on surveillance and privacy.
  
• Years as CEO: Since 2004.
  

12. Tony Xu (DoorDash)

• Salary: ~$413.7 million
  
• Achievements: Transformed DoorDash into the top food delivery platform.
  
• Controversies: Ongoing fights over gig-worker rights and pay disputes.
  
• Years as CEO: Since ~2013.
  

13. Eric Wu (Opendoor)

• Salary: ~$370.2 million
  
• Achievements: Launched a tech-based real estate model; led the company’s IPO.
  
• Controversies: Model criticized for instability and financial losses.
  
• Years as CEO: Since ~2014.
  

14. Joseph Levin (IAC/InterActiveCorp)

• Salary: ~$189.5 million
  
• Achievements: Oversaw a diverse media and tech portfolio with strong returns.
  
• Controversies: Pay perks and holding structure raised governance concerns.
  
• Years as CEO: Since ~2015.
  

15. Patrick Gelsinger (Intel)

• Salary: ~$177.9 million
  
• Achievements: Led Intel’s comeback strategy with new chips and foundry efforts.
  
• Controversies: Criticized over delays and missed innovation benchmarks.
  
• Years as CEO: Since 2021.
  

16. Brian Chesky (Airbnb)

• Salary: ~$120.1 million
  
• Achievements: Guided Airbnb through post-pandemic growth and IPO success.
  
• Controversies: Concerns over housing affordability and compliance issues.
  
• Years as CEO: Since 2008.
  

17. Dexter Goei (Altice USA)

• Salary: ~$48.0 million
  
• Achievements: Focused on expanding fiber-optic networks and digital infrastructure.
  
• Controversies: Customer service issues and corporate debt concerns.
  
• Years as CEO: Since 2015.
  

Top 5 Highest-Paid CEOs in Africa (2025)