© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Amid a highly volatile and uncertain environment driven by geopolitical and trade-tariff tensions, the chief executives (CEOs), the main business drivers of big corporations, are playing a significant role in navigating risks and making strategic decisions for profits and overall success.
Despite these pressures, the position is accompanied by highly lucrative compensation packages; last year, the CEOs’ salary levels worldwide soared to unprecedented figures, driven by a mix of high base pay, lucrative stock options, and performance-based bonuses.
Last year, the CEO compensation among the largest U.S. companies continued to rise, with the median total pay package rising to $25.6 million, the annual Equilar 100 list reported, reflecting a 9.5% increase from the previous year; however, it was at a slower pace than the 11.4% growth recorded in 2023.
In 2024, the most significant driver of CEO pay growth was the rise in stock awards. Its median value rose to 40.5% year-on-year and $18.6 million, making up approximately 73% of the total median CEO compensation.
Furthermore, the 2025 Equilar 100 highlighted only six women on the list of highest-paid CEOs, with their median compensation at $24.5 million last year.
At the top of the overall list was Jim Anderson, the CEO of Coherent, whose total compensation amounted to $101.5 million. Following next is Starbucks’ CEO, Brian Niccol, who assumed the role in September 2024, has a total compensation of $95.8 million.
For both, more than 90% of their compensation came from long-term equity awards.
In a notable mention, the list features four Indian-origin CEOs leading major U.S. companies: Satya Nadella of Microsoft, Nikesh Arora of Palo Alto Networks, Shantanu Narayen of Adobe, and Rajiv Ramaswami of Nutanix, highlighting the growing presence and impact of Indian-origin leaders in global business.
| Rank | Name | Company | Total Compensation | Change in Pay | Revenue ($M) |
| 1 | Jim Anderson | Coherent Corp. | 101,497,009 | N/A | $4,707 |
| 2 | Brian Nicool | Starbucks Corporation | 95,801,676 | N/A | $36,176 |
| 3 | Larry Culp | General Electric Company | 87,393,876 | 538% | $38,702 |
| 4 | Satya Nadella | Microsoft Corporation | 79,106,183 | 63% | $245,122 |
| 5 | Tim Cook | Apple Inc. | 74,609,802 | 18% | $391,035 |
| 6 | David Gitlin | Carrier Global Corporation | $65,554,845 | 271% | $22,486 |
| 7 | Aror Nikesh Around | Palo Alto Networks, Inc. | 58,036,875 | -62% | $8,027 |
| 8 | Shantanu Narayen | Adobe Inc. | 52,390,182 | 17% | $21,505 |
| 9 | Rajiv Ramaswami | Nutanix, Inc. | 51,143,711 | 244% | $2,148 |
| 10 | George Kurtz | CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. | 46,983,855 | 29% | $3,055 |
Source: 2025 Equilar 100 List
Methodology: The study provides an outlook of the largest CEO pay packages among U.S. companies with $1 billion or more in revenue by analysing companies that filed proxy statements by March 31, 2025—the midpoint of proxy season.
