Top 10 Highest-Paid CEOs in the US: Indian-Origin CEO Makes the List

Nikesh Arora, the chairman and CEO of Palo Alto Networks, has secured his position as the only Indian-origin executive to make it onto the list of the top 10 highest-paid CEOs in the US. Despite leading renowned technology companies like Microsoft and Google, Satya Nadella and Sundar Pichai did not make the cut.

Arora’s total compensation actually paid in 2023 amounted to a staggering $266.4 million, earning him the 10th spot on the list. This figure comes after his disclosed total compensation of over $151.4 million in the same year.

The top spot on the list was claimed by Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, who raked in over $1.4 billion in compensation in 2023. Following him was Alexander Karp of Palantir Technologies with earnings of over $1.1 billion.

Arora, an alumnus of Delhi’s Air Force Public School, previously served as Google’s chief business officer and led SoftBank in Japan before taking the helm at Palo Alto Networks in 2018.

The report also highlighted the presence of other Indian-descent executives among high earners, with 17 individuals making it to the top 500. Shantanu Narayen, the CEO of Adobe, secured the 11th spot with a compensation of $44.93 million.

Interestingly, both Musk and Pichai opted for non-traditional compensation structures in 2023, with Musk reportedly receiving no compensation and Pichai earning $8.80 million. Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta (formerly Facebook), brought in $24.40 million in the same period.

Arora’s remarkable success in the tech industry solidifies his position as a top earner, overshadowing even some of the most prominent names in the sector.