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Outgoing Walmart CEO Doug McMillon makes Rs 1.45 lakh every 30 minutes: reports

During Doug McMillon’s leadership, Walmart reported revenues of around $905 billion.

2 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jan 12, 2026 09:17 AM IST

US labour data shows the average American worker earns about $62,088 a year (Image source: Doug McMillon/LinkedIn)

Doug McMillon, who has led the US-based retail giant Walmart since 2011, earned about $27.5 million (approximately Rs 248 crore) in total compensation in his last year as CEO. Spread across the year, this amounts to nearly Rs 1.45 lakh every 30 minutes, the Fortune reported.

Company filings show that McMillon’s final-year pay included a base salary of $1.5 million, stock awards worth $20.4 million, and $4.4 million in non-equity incentive compensation. During his leadership, Walmart reported revenues of around $905 billion, strengthening its position as the world’s largest grocery retailer. McMillon is set to step down from his position later this month.

Walmart often highlights McMillon’s career as a success story. As per the report, he joined the company in 1984 as an hourly warehouse worker, unloading trailers for $6.50 an hour. Today, the contrast is striking. As CEO, McMillon earned about $3,127 an hour.

Broken down further, his earnings worked out to nearly $52 a minute.

Meanwhile, US labour data shows the average American worker earns about $62,088 a year. At McMillon’s pay rate, he would earn that amount in less than 20 hours.

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Housing comparisons also highlight the disparity. While many Americans spend decades saving for a home, McMillon could earn the US median home price of about $4,39,000 in under six working days.

However, McMillon’s pay is not an exception. In 2024, Apple CEO Tim Cook earned $74.6 million, while Tesla chief Elon Musk received a massive pay package that drew criticism for widening the wealth divide. According to an analysis from Equilar mentioned by Fortune, Rick Smith, the chief executive of $45.5 billion defence-tech company Axon, earned a whopping $164.5 million.