Highest Paid CEO in the World (2026): Updated Global List, India Rankings

1. Elon Musk, Tesla

Latest reported total pay (2025): $158.36 billion

Almost all of Elon Musk 2025 pay comes from one new stock award, the 2025 CEO Performance Award. Tesla's board says the award is meant to keep him focused as the company moves into robotaxis, self-driving software and the Optimus robot. 

It covers about 423 million Tesla shares, which unlock in 12 steps. To earn all of them, Tesla's value must reach about $8.5 trillion within ten years. The goals also include car deliveries and progress on robotaxis, self-driving software and Optimus. For the last two steps, he must also help the board plan who will lead Tesla after him.

Two older awards are worth knowing about. He gave up an interim award once valued at $26.1 billion. His 2018 award is now fully earned and is worth about $116 billion, depending on Tesla's share price. Tesla says it has no cash bonus program for its top executives.

Elon Musk at a glance

• Company: Tesla
• Role: CEO
• Industry: Automotive and Energy
• Latest reported pay: $158.36 billion (all stock awards)
• Approx. INR value: ₹15,34,000 crore

Must Read: CEOs with MBA - How much more do MBA grads earn? | upGrad blog

2. Dylan Field, Figma

Latest reported total pay (2025): $864.36 million

Dylan Field co-founded Figma and has been its CEO since 2012. Figma went public in July 2025 and made over $1 billion in revenue that year.

Almost all of his pay is stock. His salary was $500,000 and stock awards were $861.9 million. His cash bonus was $210,000, also he got $1.74 million in other pay, mostly a government filing fee and a related tax payment that the company covered for him.

The stock came from two grants in June 2025. One unlocks over five years if he stays on as CEO. The other unlocks only if Figma's share price reaches set levels, from $60 to $130, within ten years. The stock has since fallen. In August 2026, Field gave up about $46 million of his stock awards, and the company did not replace them.

Dylan Field at a glance

• Company: Figma
• Role: Co-founder, CEO, President and Chair
• Industry: Design Software
• Latest Reported Pay: $864.36 million
• Salary: $0.5 million
• Stock Awards: $861.91 million
• Approx. INR Value: ₹8,374 crore

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3. Shankh Mitra, Welltower

Latest reported total pay (2025): $821.09 million

Welltower is a real estate company (a REIT). Shankh Mitra was promoted to CEO in 2020. His pay was far lower the year before, his 2024 total was $20.2 million.

Nearly all of his 2025 pay is stock. His salary was $1.3 million, but the stock awards were $813.18 million. His cash incentive was $6.5 million. His pay was 6,569 times that of Welltower's median employee.

Shankh Mitra at a glance

• Company: Welltower
• Role: CEO
• Industry: Real Estate
• Latest reported pay: $821.09 million
• Salary: $1.3 million
• Stock awards: $813.18 million
• Approx. INR value: ₹7,955 crore

Also read: MBA Salary in India: A Guide for Professionals in 2026

4. Niraj Shah, Wayfair

Latest reported total pay (2025): $280.85 million

Niraj Shah co-founded Wayfair, the online furniture retailer. He is its CEO and co-chairman. He has led the company since 2002.

For years, his pay was small. His total in 2024 was $283,145, and his salary is $80,000. In 2025, his stock awards were $280.56 million and his other pay was $209,568. Without the big new award, his 2025 pay would have been about $290,000.

Niraj Shah at a glance

• Company: Wayfair
• Role: Co-founder, CEO and Co-chairman
• Industry: E-commerce
• Latest reported pay: $280.85 million
• Salary: $80,000
• Stock awards: $280.56 million
• Approx. INR value: ₹2,721 crore

Do read: Highest Paying Easy Jobs in India That Pay Well in 2026

5. Hock Tan, Broadcom

Latest reported total pay (fiscal 2025): $205.28 million

Hock Tan has been CEO of Broadcom, a computer chip and software company, since March 2006. He is 74. Broadcom's fiscal 2025 ended on November 2, 2025, and the company posted record revenue of $63.9 billion.

Almost all of his pay is stock. His salary was $1.2 million, his stock awards were $202.35 million, and his other pay was $1.73 million. He gets no cash bonus. His 2024 total was only $2.63 million, because he got no stock awards that year.

The stock value comes from one award, granted in September 2025 to keep him as CEO until 2030. He earns it only if Broadcom's AI chip sales hit set levels in the three years from fiscal 2028 to 2030. The target is 610,521 shares, earned at $90 billion in AI sales. At $120 billion, the payout triples. At $60 billion or less, he gets nothing. The maximum is worth over $600 million at the share price when it was granted. 

Hock Tan at a glance

• Company: Broadcom
• Role: President and CEO
• Industry: Semiconductors and Software
• Latest reported pay: $205.28 million
• Salary: $1.2 million
• Stock awards: $202.35 million
• Approx. INR value: ₹1,989 crore

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6. Peter Gassner, Veeva

Latest reported total pay (fiscal 2026): $470,833

Peter Gassner is the founder and CEO of Veeva, a software company for the drug and medical industry. Veeva's fiscal year ends on January 31. In fiscal 2026, revenue was $3.2 billion, up 16%.

His latest pay is small. It was all salary: no stock, no options and no bonus. The big number comes from the year before. His fiscal 2025 total was $172.44 million. That was a $445,833 salary plus $171.99 million in stock options.

Peter Gassner at a glance

• Company: Veeva Systems
• Role: Founder and CEO
• Industry: Software (life sciences)
• Latest reported pay (fiscal 2026): $470,833, all salary
• Biggest recent year (fiscal 2025): $172.44 million
• Stock options in fiscal 2025: $171.99 million
• Approx. INR value: ₹4.56 crore (fiscal 2026); ₹1,671 crore (fiscal 2025)

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7. David Solomon, Goldman Sachs

Latest reported total pay (2025): $118.89 million

David Solomon has been CEO of Goldman Sachs since October 2018 and chairman since January 2019. His pay is split between cash and stock. His salary was $2 million, his cash bonus was $10.13 million, and his stock awards were $105.29 million. His other pay was $1.48 million.

A one-time retention award explains most of the jump. In January 2025, he got 130,508 stock units worth $80 million, which he can only collect if he stays until January 2030. Without it, his pay would be near $39 million. Goldman's own figure for his 2025 pay is $47 million. 

David Solomon at a glance

• Company: Goldman Sachs
• Role: Chairman and CEO
• Industry: Financial Services
• Latest reported pay: $118.89 million
• Salary: $2 million
• Stock awards: $105.29 million
• Approx. INR value: ₹1,152 crore

Also read: Best Career Options in India 2026: Salary & Future Scope

8. Sridhar Ramaswamy, Snowflake

Latest reported total pay (fiscal 2026): $22.31 million

Sridhar Ramaswamy became CEO of Snowflake, a company that stores and analyses data in the cloud, in February 2024. Snowflake's fiscal year ends on January 31. His pay for fiscal 2026 was $22.31 million, mostly stock.

Two newer events are not in the $22.31 million. In June 2026, shareholders voted down the company's executive pay proposal. In July, the board gave him a new award. It covers 1 million shares and unlocks in five steps as the share price rises. The targets run from $324 to $531, with two to seven years to reach them. It could be worth about $448 million if every target is met, and he must stay as CEO until 2030.

Sridhar Ramaswamy at a glance

• Company: Snowflake
• Role: CEO
• Industry: Cloud Computing and Data
• Latest reported pay (fiscal 2026): $22.31 million
• Biggest recent year (fiscal 2025): $101.33 million
• Approx. INR value: ₹216 crore (fiscal 2026); ₹982 crore (fiscal 2025)

9. Nikesh Arora, Palo Alto Networks

Latest reported total pay (fiscal 2025): $99.74 million

Nikesh Arora has been chairman and CEO of Palo Alto Networks, a cybersecurity company, since June 2018. Its fiscal year ended on July 31, 2025. His salary was $1 million and his stock awards were $94.86 million. He also got $1.2 million in a separate pay item and $2.68 million in other pay. About 88% of the other pay was for his personal security.

The stock figure can look odd from year to year. The company's accounting rules count part of the stock in the year its targets are set, not the year it was granted. That is why his total was $58 million in fiscal 2024 and $151 million in fiscal 2023. 

His pay has also met shareholder resistance. Investors rejected the pay package in December 2025, the seventh time since 2015. His pay was 442 times that of the typical employee.

Nikesh Arora at a glance

• Company: Palo Alto Networks
• Role: Chairman and CEO
• Industry: Cybersecurity
• Latest reported pay: $99.74 million
• Salary: $1 million
• Stock awards: $94.86 million
• Approx. INR value: ₹966 crore

10. Satya Nadella, Microsoft

Latest reported total pay (fiscal 2025): about $96.5 million

Satya Nadella has been Microsoft's CEO since 2014. Its fiscal year ended on June 30, 2025. His pay rose nearly 22% from $79.1 million, mainly because Microsoft's share price rose. His salary was $2.5 million, his stock awards were $84 million, and his cash incentive was $9.5 million. His other pay was $196,000.

All of his stock comes from awards tied to company performance. None of it is given just for staying on. His target award has been $50 million since fiscal 2022. The $84 million is higher because of the share price rise. In the year before, he asked the board to cut his cash bonus to $5.2 million after a series of cyberattacks. His pay was 480 times that of Microsoft's typical employee. 

Satya Nadella at a glance

• Company: Microsoft
• Role: Chairman and CEO
• Industry: Technology and Software
• Latest reported pay: about $96.5 million
• Salary: $2.5 million
• Stock awards: $84.2 million
• Approx. INR value: about ₹935 crore

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Highest Paid Indian CEOs in 2026

India's executive compensation landscape changed significantly in FY2026, with technology, automotive, pharmaceuticals, infrastructure and financial services leaders featuring prominently among the country's highest-paid executives. The figures below represent total remuneration, which can include salary, bonuses, commissions, perquisites and stock-based benefits.

Rank	CEO/Executive	Company	FY2026 Compensation
1	Sandeep Kalra	Persistent Systems	₹388.58 crore
2	C. Vijayakumar	HCLTech	₹171.93 crore
3	Pawan Munjal	Hero MotoCorp	₹122.31 crore
4	S. N. Subrahmanyan	Larsen & Toubro	₹120.84 crore
5	Murali K. Divi	Divi's Laboratories	₹100.26 crore
6	Salil Parekh	Infosys	₹82.60 crore
7	Neeraj Kanwar	Apollo Tyres	₹78.41 crore
8	H. M. Bangur	Shree Cement	₹68.59 crore
9	Ambarish Kenghe	Angel One	₹68.23 crore
10	Mohit Joshi	Tech Mahindra	₹67.58 crore

**Financial Express compiled the ranking using the Capitaline database and company annual reports. It also notes that executives from PB Fintech, Sun TV and Swiggy were excluded because their FY26 annual reports had not yet been released when the ranking was compiled.

A notable trend is the strong presence of technology and automotive leaders. Sandeep Kalra's ₹388.58 crore remuneration was up 162% year over year, while C. Vijayakumar's rose 85%. Ambarish Kenghe's compensation was particularly unusual because ₹55.53 crore came from ESOPs, contributing to a sharp increase in his reported remuneration.

Must read: Data Scientist Salary in India 2026: Shocking Facts

What Is the Difference Between CEO Salary vs Total Compensation?

The term "CEO salary" is often used loosely, but it can mean something very different from total compensation.

A CEO's base salary is the fixed amount paid for performing the role. Total compensation can be much larger.

Compensation Component	Meaning
Base Salary	The fixed amount a CEO receives for performing their role, usually paid monthly or annually.
Annual Cash Bonus	A short-term cash payment awarded based on annual company or individual performance.
Performance Incentives	Additional rewards linked to specific business, financial, or individual performance targets.
Stock Awards	Company shares granted to a CEO as part of their compensation, often subject to vesting conditions.
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)	Promises to provide company shares after the CEO meets specified vesting requirements, such as staying with the company for a set period.
Performance Stock Units (PSUs)	Stock-based awards that vest when predefined company or shareholder performance targets are achieved.
Stock Options	The right to buy company shares at a predetermined price, usually after meeting certain vesting conditions.
Long-Term Incentive Plans	Compensation designed to reward performance over several years, often through cash or equity tied to long-term targets.
Retirement Benefits	Contributions or benefits provided through pension, retirement or deferred-compensation arrangements.
Personal Security	Company-paid security services or related expenses provided for the CEO's protection.
Other Reported Benefits	Additional compensation or benefits such as allowances, insurance, travel, tax-related payments or other executive perks.

Consider Dylan Field, the CEO of Figma. His 2025 salary was $500,000. His total reported pay was $864.36 million. Almost all of the difference came from stock awards, which were $861.91 million.

So, if you're comparing the highest paid CEOs in the world, total pay is a more useful measure than base salary.

How Is CEO Compensation Calculated?

There isn't one universal formula for calculating CEO compensation.

Public companies generally disclose executive remuneration through annual reports, proxy statements or equivalent remuneration reports. In the United States, SEC rules require detailed reporting for named executive officers.

A simplified CEO compensation calculation can be represented as:

Total Compensation = Salary + Bonus + Equity Awards + Incentives + Other Compensation

However, the valuation of equity can make the calculation more complicated.

Stock awards are generally reported using a specified valuation methodology, such as grant-date fair value under accounting rules. The resulting figure isn't necessarily the amount of cash the CEO received during that year.

That's why a $100 million compensation figure doesn't automatically mean the CEO received $100 million in cash.

How Do CEO Bonuses and Stock Awards Work?

CEO bonuses generally reward annual performance, while equity awards are often designed to encourage longer-term performance.

Annual bonuses

Performance Metric	Meaning
Revenue	Measures the company's total income from its business operations during a specific period.
Profit	Shows how much money the company earns after deducting its expenses and costs.
Operating Income	Measures profit generated from the company's core operations before interest and taxes.
Cash Flow	Tracks the cash generated and used by the business, indicating its ability to fund operations and investments.
Strategic Milestones	Measures progress toward specific business goals, such as product launches, acquisitions, expansion, or digital transformation.
Shareholder Returns	Measures the value delivered to shareholders through factors such as share-price appreciation and dividends.

Stock awards

Companies may provide:

Equity Component	Meaning
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)	A promise to give the CEO company shares after specific vesting conditions are met, such as completing a certain period of service.
Performance Stock Units (PSUs)	Stock-based awards that become vested when the company or CEO achieves predefined performance targets.
Stock Options	The right to purchase company shares at a predetermined price, usually after a specified vesting period.
Long-Term Incentive Shares	Shares awarded to encourage CEOs to achieve long-term business or shareholder-performance goals, often with multi-year vesting conditions.

For example, NVIDIA's FY2026 compensation structure included performance stock units tied to operating income and multi-year total shareholder return. Some awards won't become fully determined until future performance periods end.

Why Are Some CEOs Paid Mostly in Stock?

Stock links a CEO's reward to how the company does over time. It also means the company needs to pay less fixed cash.

You can see this in the top of the list. Elon Musk's 2025 pay was all stock awards. Niraj Shah of Wayfair has an $80,000 salary, but his stock awards were $280.56 million. Shankh Mitra of Welltower had a $1.3 million salary against $813.18 million in stock.

The stock often comes with goals attached. Musk's award depends on Tesla's value, car deliveries and progress on robotaxis, self-driving software and Optimus. Shah's final step needs Wayfair's share price to rise 675%, and he must stay as CEO for at least five years.

That is why a list ranked by salary would miss the real story. At the top of this list, salary is a tiny part of the total.

Do read: Top-Paying MBA Specializations & Salary Trends 2025

What Factors that Determine CEO Compensation?

CEO compensation can be influenced by several factors.

Factor	How It Can Affect CEO Pay
Company size	Larger businesses may offer larger executive packages
Revenue	Can influence peer benchmarking and incentive targets
Profitability	Often linked to annual performance bonuses
Shareholder returns	May determine long-term equity payouts
Market capitalisation	Can influence equity-based incentives
Industry	Compensation differs across sectors
Executive experience	Experienced leaders may command higher packages
Strategic responsibility	Major transformations can influence pay
Retention requirements	Special awards can be used to retain executives
Long-term performance	Often linked to stock and performance awards

Must read: Top 15 Highest Paying Data Science Jobs India 2026

How Does CEO Compensation Vary by Country?

International comparisons need extra care.

A U.S. company reports pay under SEC rules. An Indian company follows Indian corporate and securities rules. UK and Australian companies have their own systems.

All ten CEOs in our main list lead U.S. companies. India's top-paid executives are ranked separately below, using Indian data.

Financial years also differ. Welltower's year ended on December 31, 2025. Broadcom's fiscal 2025 ended on November 2, 2025. Indian companies generally report for the year ending March 31.

So always check which year a figure covers. Two figures labelled "2026" may not cover the same twelve months.

Conclusion

The highest paid CEO in the world in 2026 highlights how executive compensation has evolved beyond traditional salaries. Elon Musk leads the latest FY2026 comparison, with a substantial share of his reported compensation coming from stock awards and performance-linked incentives.

The rankings also show that CEO pay can vary significantly across companies, industries, and countries. When comparing compensation, it's important to look beyond base salary and consider bonuses, equity awards, long-term incentives, and other reported benefits. For an accurate comparison, always check the financial year, compensation methodology, and source of the data.

For accurate comparisons, consider the financial year, compensation methodology, equity valuation and currency conversion.

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