Markets
The Top 10 Highest Paid CEOs in America
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The Top 10 Highest Paid CEOs in America
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The median pay for S&P 500 CEOs soared to an all-time high of $15.7 million in 2023, as a strong stock market boosted executive compensation.
Some of the highest paid CEOs in America earned nine-figure pay packages, with the vast majority of CEO compensation tied to stock awards. Overall, executives in the index earned on average 196 times more than the median S&P 500 employee, up from 185 in 2022.
This graphic shows the top 10 highest paid CEOs of S&P 500 companies, based on analysis from The Wall Street Journal and MyLogIQ.
The Highest-Earning S&P 500 CEOs in 2023
Here are the S&P 500 chief executives who received the highest compensation packages last year:
Rank | CEO | Company | Total Pay | Cash Pay | Sector |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Hock Tan | Broadcom | $161.8M | $1.2M | Technology |
2 | Nikesh Arora | Palo Alto Networks | $151.4M | $2.3M | Technology |
3 | Stephen Schwarzman | Blackstone | $119.8M | $0.4M | Financial Services |
4 | Christopher Winfrey | Charter Communications | $89.1M | $5.2M | Communication Services |
5 | Will Lansing | Fair Isaac | $66.4M | $2.0M | Technology |
6 | Tim Cook | Apple | $63.2M | $13.7M | Technology |
7 | Hamid Moghadam | Prologis | $50.9M | $1.9M | Real Estate |
8 | Theodore Sarandos | Netflix | $49.8M | $19.5M | Communication Services |
9 | David Zaslav | Warner Bros. Discovery | $49.7M | $25.0M | Communication Services |
10 | Glenn Fogel | Booking Holdings | $46.7M | $5.8M | Consumer Cyclical |
Total pay includes equity awards and cash pay.
Hock Tan, CEO of chipmaker Broadcom, tops the list, with an annual compensation of $161.8 million in 2023.
Like Nvidia, the company has benefited from surging demand for AI technologies. Broadcom supplies the networking chips used in data centers for big tech companies, including Microsoft. Between 2022 and 2023, Tan’s salary doubled, earning 510 times the median pay of employees.
Ranking in third is Stephen Schwarzman, who runs the biggest private equity firm in the world, Blackstone. The executive’s $119.8 million pay package was bolstered by a 83% rise in its share price last year. The firm is the world’s largest owner of commercial property, with approximately 12,500 real estate assets overall.
Meanwhile, Apple CEO Tim Cook received $63.2 million in 2023—a sharp decline from the $99.4 million earned in the prior year. This rare pay cut was the result of shareholder pushback and requests from Cook himself.
Overall, four of the top 10 highest paid CEOs in America are in the tech sector, with each experiencing double-digit share price gains over 2023.
CEO Pay Has Doubled Over the Last Decade
Below, we show the increasing magnitude of executive earnings since 2013:
Year | Median Total Compensation for CEOs of S&P 500 Companies |
---|---|
2023 | $15.7M |
2022 | $14.5M |
2021 | $14.8M |
2020 | $13.2M |
2019 | $12.2M |
2018 | $11.7M |
2017 | $10.6M |
2016 | $10.0M |
2015 | $9.9M |
2014 | $9.0M |
2013 | $7.4M |
Total pay includes equity awards and cash pay.
As we can see, the median total compensation of S&P 500 CEOs jumped over 8% between 2022 and 2023.
Going further, this figure has grown by twofold over the last 10 years as the U.S. stock market surged during a period of low interest rates. Overall, CEO pay is rising faster than median employee pay and this gap between CEOs and workers has continued to widen over many years. For perspective, the median pay of S&P 500 employees stood at $81,476 in 2023.
Often, CEO compensation is linked to the company’s financial performance, which is measured through share price movements and dividend payouts. In addition, the rise in CEO pay can be largely driven by stock awards granted to CEOs.
A separate analysis from Equilar found that on average, 70% of S&P 500 CEO compensation stemmed from stock awards, averaging a striking $9.4 million in 2023.
Energy
5 Ways Nuclear Can Power The Future
As global electricity demand rises, nuclear power stands out as a leading solution to help ensure a stable and low-carbon energy future.
![The preview image for an infographic showing 5 reasons nuclear power is best suited to meet growing electricity demand.](https://www.visualcapitalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/RangeFunds-5WaysNuclearCanPowerThefuture-20240618-Shareable.jpg)
Range Disclosures
Visualized: 5 Ways Nuclear Can Power the Future
Global electricity consumption from data centers, cryptocurrencies, and artificial intelligence (AI) is poised for a dramatic leap, projected to nearly double between 2022 and 2026.
This surge highlights the ever-growing need for reliable and sustainable energy solutions to power our increasingly digital world.
Created in partnership with Range ETFs, this infographic highlights five reasons why nuclear power may be best suited to meet this growing demand, using data from various sources such as the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Energy Information Administration.Â
Nuclear Power is…
Data centers and AI systems require substantial and uninterrupted electricity to power their computing and cooling infrastructure. Here’s how nuclear power can be a solution:
1. Low Carbon
Unlike fossil fuels, nuclear power generates electricity without emitting greenhouse gases. And because nuclear plants have long operational lives, their lifecycle emissions are comparable to renewable sources such as wind and solar, according to the UN Economic Commission for Europe, making it a crucial player in the fight against climate change.
2. Flexible
Advancements in nuclear technology have led to the development of smaller, more versatile reactors called small modular reactors (SMRs). These compact reactors can be located virtually anywhere, including right next to data centers. This flexibility reduces transmission loss and ensures a more efficient delivery of power where it is most needed.
3. Dependable
Data centers require uninterrupted power that intermittent energy sources, such as wind and solar, cannot consistently meet.
Nuclear power, on the other hand, is a dispatchable energy source, which means it can be quickly turned on and off to meet electricity demand in real time. This makes it incredibly dependable and fit for powering energy-hungry data centers.
4. Safe
Despite common misconceptions, nuclear power is one of the safest forms of electricity.
Energy Source | Deaths per TWh of electricity production |
---|---|
Coal | 24.62 |
Oil | 18.43 |
Natural Gas | 2.82 |
Hydropower | 1.3 |
Wind | 0.04 |
Nuclear | 0.03 |
Solar | 0.02 |
The death rate per terawatt hour (TWh) of electricity produced from nuclear power is significantly lower than it is for coal, oil, and natural gas. Moreover, modern reactor designs, such as SMRs, now integrate advanced safety features that surpass even those of traditional nuclear reactors, further minimizing risks.
5. Optimal
Nuclear power has the highest capacity factor out of all other common electricity sources. This means that the ratio of its actual electricity output to its maximum possible output is very high.
In other words, nuclear power operates at full capacity 93% of the time, whereas geothermal, the energy source with the second-highest capacity factor, operates at full capacity 71% of the time. Natural gas comes in third place, with a capacity factor of 54%.
Nuclear’s high capacity factor means it can consistently meet large-scale electricity demands, making it an ideal solution for powering the growing number of data centers and AI operations.
The Resurgence of Nuclear Power
The rapid growth of AI and data centers is driving a resurgence of interest in nuclear power. Industry leaders and technology companies are investing in nuclear projects across the U.S. and beyond, recognizing its potential to provide a reliable, sustainable energy source.
As the demand for electricity continues to rise, nuclear power stands out as a leading solution to help ensure a stable and low-carbon energy future.
Consider investing in the bright future of nuclear power.
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