Top 20 Highest-Paid CEOs in Technology
Leaders of the technology industry have a discerning eye for inventiveness and are often admired for piloting the industry towards innovation and ingenuity. Technology leaders are known for their insightful vision, planting the seeds for advancements to take root and thrive in a highly competitive industry. In an ever-evolving industry like technology, HR professionals must rely on current market data to accurately benchmark salaries that attract and retain top talent.
Even in the face of constant transformation, effective tech executives can steer companies towards success. This is what makes them so invaluable and some of the highest-paid executives of any industry—their clever intuition for enterprise is one of the very factors that influence their compensation packages, which are already quite complex.
To understand executive compensation packages for tech CEOs, we must first explore which factors contribute to executive pay and the reasoning behind them. This helps HR and compensation analysts make the most accurate decisions in salary planning.
Technology CEO Total Compensation Factors
CEO compensation in the technology industry is dependent on multiple factors. Beyond their base salary, a tech industry CEO’s total rewards package is typically largely comprised of additional pay components, such as stock awards, additional benefits, and performance-based incentives. Executive compensation is often tied to company performance because of the competitive and fast-paced nature of the technology industry. More than anything, technology is an industry that hinges on risks and investments, which makes clear executive leadership crucial for final decision-making processes.
Highest-Paid Technology CEOs
The technology sector continues to dominate executive compensation, with its top CEOs earning multimillion dollar salaries supplemented by stock awards, bonuses, and other incentives. As tech companies expand their global influence, executive pay packages reflect the intense competition for leadership talent capable of driving shareholder value and encouraging product innovation. The chart below highlights the highest-paid CEOS in the technology industry based on data collected in 2024, in order of highest total compensation, highlighting how base salary factors into the total.
| Name | Company | Salary | Total |
| Satya Nadella | Microsoft Corp | $ 2,500,000.00 | $ 79,106,183.00 |
| Timothy Cook | Apple Inc | $ 3,000,000.00 | $ 74,609,802.00 |
| Matthew Murphy | Marvell Technology Group Ltd | $ 1,138,698.00 | $ 45,163,040.00 |
| Marc Benioff | Salesforce.com Inc | $ 1,550,000.00 | $ 39,642,173.00 |
| Shantanu Narayen | Adobe Inc | $ 1,500,000.00 | $ 52,390,182.00 |
| Charles Robbins | Cisco Systems Inc | $ 1,390,000.00 | $ 39,202,654.00 |
| Sasan Goodarzi | Intuit Inc | $ 1,200,000.00 | $ 36,572,360.00 |
| Timothy Archer | Lam Research Corp | $ 1,176,923.00 | $ 30,135,041.00 |
| Sanjay Mehrotra | Micron Technology Inc | $ 1,416,909.00 | $ 30,060,126.00 |
| Vincent Mattera | II-VI Inc | $ 1,060,096.00 | $ 28,811,152.00 |
| Julie Sweet | Accenture PLC | $ 1,550,000.00 | $ 24,915,146.00 |
| Richard Wallace | KLA Corp | $ 1,129,905.00 | $ 22,832,965.00 |
| Vincent Roche | Analog Devices Inc | $ 1,137,692.00 | $ 22,436,615.00 |
| Thierry Delaporte | Wipro Ltd | $ 3,900,827.00 | $ 20,111,105.00 |
| Michael Salvino | DXC Technology Co | $ 1,350,000.00 | $ 19,821,384.00 |
| David Goeckeler | Western Digital Corp | $ 1,245,192.00 | $ 17,690,772.00 |
| George Schindler | CGI Inc | $ 1,921,418.00 | $ 14,162,558.00 |
| Serge Godin | CGI Inc | $ 1,301,000.00 | $ 13,710,280.00 |
| Nazzic Keene | Science Applications International Corp | $ 1,258,224.00 | $ 12,895,917.00 |
| Philip Gallagher | Avnet Inc | $ 1,200,000.00 | $ 8,775,978.00 |
This table presents the top 20 highest-paid CEOs based on total reported compensation. While stock awards and performance-based variable compensation form a significant portion of executive pay, base salaries are a fraction of total earnings.
Be mindful that compensation figures may change over time, reflecting market dynamics, company performance, and industry trends. Stay informed of the latest compensation survey data to ensure your salary plan remains up to date and competitive within your industry.
For a more detailed breakdown of executive compensation in technology or other industries, turn to ERI SalaryExpert's Executive Compensation Assessor, which provides a complete analysis of compensation factors at the executive level, including salaries, bonuses, long-term incentives, non-equity incentives, stock awards, option awards, pension, other compensation, and more. ERI SalaryExpert’s Assessor Platform is designed to help you customize your executive compensation analysis to confidently grasp how executive salaries compare in your specific industry and make the most accurate data-driven decisions.
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