For the fiscal year 2024–2025, Microsoft Corporation Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella received a pay increase to $96.5 million, the biggest since taking over the position more than ten years ago. According to Bloomberg, the board credited the rise to the business’s advancements in artificial intelligence (AI).
The board’s remuneration committee stated in a message to shareholders contained in a regulatory filing made public on Tuesday that the results “show that Satya Nadella and his leadership team have positioned Microsoft as a clear artificial intelligence leader for this generational technology shift.” The document states that around 90% of Nadella’s compensation, which includes a base salary of $2.5 million, is in Microsoft stock. The prior fiscal year, he made $79.1 million. In 2014, Nadella was appointed as the third CEO of Microsoft.
Microsoft’s Top Brass Also Received Salary Hike
In the year that ended in June, Nadella’s top deputies also saw increases in pay. Amy Hood, the chief financial officer, was paid $29.5 million in total, while Judson Althoff, who was recently promoted to head Microsoft’s commercial division, was paid $28.2 million. Leading Microsoft’s successful transition to cloud computing has been Nadella’s most notable accomplishment.
He supported Azure’s expansion since he saw the potential of cloud services early on, and it currently faces off against Amazon Web Services for market dominance. Microsoft also increased its presence in professional networking and software development through strategic acquisitions like GitHub and LinkedIn. Through significant investments, such as the purchase of Activision Blizzard, Nadella also fortified the company’s gaming portfolio, solidifying Microsoft’s position in the quickly expanding gaming industry.
Nadella’s Current Focus on AI
Microsoft invested $1 billion in OpenAI, a little-known AI start-up at the time, under Nadella’s direction. OpenAI is now the most well-known brand in AI because of ChatGPT. Microsoft invested an additional $10 billion to strengthen the alliance, and since then, it has integrated AI into almost all of its services and products.
Nadella, who was reared in Hyderabad, graduated from Mangalore University in 1988 with a degree in electrical engineering. He joined Sun Microsystems’ technology team after relocating to the United States and earning a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in 1990. After being hired by Microsoft in 1992, he first helped create Windows NT, an operating system designed for business users. Nadella went on to become executive vice president in charge of Microsoft’s cloud computing operations after serving as president of the company’s server and tools division.
Quick Shots
•Microsoft
CEO Satya Nadella earned $96.5 million in FY 2024–25, up from $79.1 million
last year.
•Compensation
hike credited to Microsoft’s advancements in artificial intelligence,
including ChatGPT integration.
•Around
90% of Nadella’s pay comes from Microsoft stock; base salary is $2.5 million.
•Microsoft invested $11B in OpenAI;
AI integrated across products and services.
In an effort to free up CEO Satya Nadella and his engineering executives to focus on technical innovation, especially in artificial intelligence, Microsoft is reorganising its senior leadership team. Long-time sales boss Judson Althoff will now be in charge of marketing and operations.
On October 1, Nadella sent out an email to staff members announcing Althoff’s appointment as the new CEO of Microsoft’s Commercial Business. As part of this increased role, he will now be in charge of the organisation’s operations. This new commercial business unit will include Microsoft’s Chief Marketing Officer, Takeshi Numoto. Nadella’s email claims that the change will allow him to spend more time on product development, artificial intelligence, and the company’s substantial data centre expansion.
Prior to joining Microsoft in 2013, Althoff served as the company’s chief commercial officer and executive vice president. He had top sales roles at Oracle and EMC before joining Microsoft. Althoff returned from an eight-week sabbatical shortly after the reorganisation.
What Nadella’s Email Stated to the Employees?
According to Nadella, Microsoft is going through a tectonic transition in its AI platform, which means that it must manage and expand its commercial company at scale today while simultaneously creating the next frontier and performing perfectly across both. History demonstrates that general-purpose technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) lead to significant increases in GDP and productivity. The brand has a special chance to assist its clients and the global community in fulfilling this promise.
Microsoft’s success hinges on empowering its partners and clients in the public and private sectors to transform their operations by fusing their human capital with cutting-edge AI capabilities. In order to boost growth and solidify the company’s position as the go-to partner for AI transformation, it will need to collaborate more and more with sales, marketing, operations, and engineering. In light of this, Nadella has requested Judson Althoff to assume a more expansive position as the company’s CEO.
Judson has been in charge of Microsoft’s worldwide sales team for the last nine years. He was also the driving force behind the creation of Microsoft Customer and Partner Solutions (MCAPS), which is now the “number one seed” in the sector and the key growth engine for our business.
Judson to Lead New Commercial Leadership Team
In order to drive Microsoft’s product strategy and governance, GTM readiness, and sales motions with shared accountability for the rigour and executional excellence our customers expect, Judson will also serve as the leader of a new commercial leadership team that consists of leaders from engineering, sales, marketing, operations, and finance.
This will also enable Nadella and Microsoft’s engineering leaders to lead with intensity and speed in this generational platform shift by focusing entirely on our most ambitious technical work, which spans the brand’s data centre buildout, systems architecture, AI science, and product innovation.
Quick
Shots
•Judson Althoff appointed as CEO of
Microsoft’s Commercial Business, taking charge of marketing, operations, and
global sales.
•New commercial business unit includes
Microsoft’s Chief Marketing Officer, Takeshi Numoto.
•Nadella emphasizes that AI is a
generational platform shift and crucial for global productivity and growth.
•The leadership change frees Nadella
and engineering teams to focus on technical innovation, AI science, and
product strategy.
Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, has acknowledged that he has a disturbing notion that keeps him up at night: what if the computer giant fails to survive the AI revolution? An innocent query about workplace culture ultimately led to a rare moment of weakness from the guy in charge, which prompted his open revelation during an employee-only town hall.
Nadella, who has led Microsoft into its current AI-driven renaissance, acknowledged that the company’s largest and most lucrative endeavours might not be as significant in the future. According to him, some of the company’s largest ventures may not be as significant in the future.
Nadella Narrates the Ordeal of DEC
The CEO cited Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), a well-known cautionary tale from Silicon Valley’s history. Early in the 1970s, DEC was a major force in computing, but it lost its appeal when it couldn’t keep up with new developments, especially the Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) architecture. Nadella acknowledged that the IT sector is replete with examples of once-great businesses that have simply vanished.
He went on to say that DEC is the specific one that haunts him. He disclosed that his first computer was a DEC VAX, and he had previously fantasised of working there; thus, the reference also had a personal sting. He pointed out that Microsoft ended up reaping unanticipated benefits from DEC’s downfall. He recalled that several of the developers of Windows NT were from a DEC lab that had been laid off, highlighting the fact that industry disruptions frequently cause talent to go from one company to another.
When a UK-based employee noted that Microsoft felt noticeably different, colder, more rigid, and lacking in the empathy Microsoft had come to respect, then the topic of corporate mortality came up. The criticism was courageous, and Nadella did not brush it off. Rather, he acknowledged that the emotion was accurate and pledged to consider how leadership could improve.
Survival in a Fast-Evolving Industry is the Need of the Hour: Nadella
In addition to addressing the market’s AI-driven uncertainties, Nadella recognised that the corporation had to foster an atmosphere where workers feel encouraged, appreciated, and heard. After all, surviving in a rapidly changing sector depends as much on retaining your workforce as it does on winning technology fights. The openness of the CEO acted as a rallying cry as much as a warning.
His message is that unless a corporation continuously adjusts, irrelevance will always lurk, regardless of how tall it may appear. Microsoft also needs to be on guard in this new AI-powered environment, or DEC could disappear despite its early supremacy.
However, Nadella’s remarks also highlighted the emotional strain of running a business with such a past. He seems eager to find a balance between leading Microsoft into the future and re-establishing trust with its employees, despite being haunted by the demise of previous titans and confronted by internal worries.
Quick
Shots
•At an internal town hall, Nadella
shared his personal fears about Microsoft’s survival in the AI era.
•Nadella cited Digital Equipment
Corporation (DEC) as a reminder of once-dominant tech giants that collapsed.
•Nadella revealed his first computer
was a DEC VAX, making the story emotionally significant.
•Nadella stressed the need for
constant adaptation, empathy, and cultural resilience.
According to various media reports, Microsoft is planning to lay off thousands of employees, mostly in its sales business. The layoffs are anticipated to be revealed in early July as the corporation continues to restructure in the face of significant expenditures in artificial intelligence.
Following 6,000 layoffs in May and more than 300 more a few weeks later, the layoffs will be the Redmond-based software giant’s third significant employment decrease of the year.
The expected summer layoffs were initially reported by Bloomberg, and according to sources, the timing aligns with the beginning of Microsoft’s new fiscal year in July.
Sales Team to Face the Thunder Storm
The upcoming cuts will disproportionately target customer-facing roles, in contrast to prior rounds that predominantly hit software engineers and product developers.
As of June 2024, about 45,000 of Microsoft’s 228,000 employees work in the sales and marketing business. This change was hinted at by the company in April when it declared that it will outsource more software sales to small and midsized businesses to other companies.
Although sales teams will take the brunt of the cuts, a media group reported that they won’t be the only ones affected.
Microsoft Focusing More on AI
The larger difficulty tech businesses face in striking a balance between AI spending and operational efficiency is reflected in Microsoft’s layoffs. This fiscal year, the business has set aside almost $80 billion for data centre expenditures, and officials have promised Wall Street that they will keep costs under control in other areas.
At a recent internal town hall, CEO Satya Nadella told staff that the previous cuts were a “realignment” rather than a result of performance evaluations, emphasising that employees were not failing. It was about shifting into the next phase.
Microsoft frequently announces organisational changes close to the conclusion of its fiscal year, so the timing fits a pattern. Following the Activision Blizzard takeover, the business further reduced its video game sector and let off 10,000 employees in January 2023 after hiring was prompted by the epidemic.
According to media reports, Microsoft declined to comment on the anticipated layoffs, and the precise number of cuts is still being decided.
Amazon CEO Echoing Similar Thoughts on Layoffs and Adaptation of AI
Amazon has alluded to additional layoffs in the upcoming years in a recent letter to its staff. In a recent letter to his staff, Andy Jassy, the CEO of Amazon, outlined a clear vision for the company’s future.
According to the letter, there will be significant changes in the workforce as a result of the increased emphasis on artificial intelligence (AI), including possible cutbacks in corporate employment responsibilities.
Jassy underlined how AI is used throughout Amazon’s extensive operations, pointing to its use in Alexa, shopping features, and internal operations. He described generative AI as a “once-in-a-lifetime” technical development that may open up new opportunities for businesses and consumers alike.
According to media reports, Microsoft is assigning Ryan Roslansky, the CEO of LinkedIn, a more significant position that will involve managing Office productivity tools.
As per reports, Roslansky, who took over LinkedIn five years ago, is going to be the executive vice president of Office. He will be answering to Rajesh Jha, the executive vice president for experiences and devices at Microsoft.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella notified staff members of the move via email on 4 June. According to the source, Roslansky will still answer to Nadella in his capacity as CEO of LinkedIn.
After bringing in over $17 billion in revenue in the previous year, LinkedIn, which Microsoft purchased for $27 billion in 2016, will continue to function as a subsidiary. Prior to joining LinkedIn in 2009, Roslansky was employed at Yahoo.
Roslansky New Work Portfolio
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams are all part of Microsoft’s Office 365 productivity software suite, which was rebranded as Microsoft 365 in 2022.
Apart from managing those items, Roslansky’s portfolio will also feature the M365 Copilot application, which enables users to modify documents in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. In 2020, Jha’s team released the app.
Office is one of the most recognisable product suites ever, according to Roslansky’s LinkedIn post. It has literally influenced the way the world functions. The office’s influence and reach are unparalleled. “I’m entering a brand-new, exciting period in this capacity.
AI, connectivity, and productivity are all merging at a large scale. Professionals around the world use Office and LinkedIn on a daily basis, and I’m excited to redefine ourselves in this new environment,” he continued.
Microsoft announced that Charles Lamanna, corporate vice president for business and industry Copilot products, and his staff will go to Jha’s division as part of the organisational shift.
They were formerly a member of the cloud and AI team led by Executive Vice President Scott Guthrie. Lamanna oversees the Copilot Studio tool, which makes it simple to create artificial intelligence agents, and Dynamics 365 sales and customer support tools, which are competitors of Salesforce.
Microsoft Focusing More on AI
Nadella stated in December that AI bots may eventually replace humans as the primary means of interacting with software systems intended for usage within large corporations.
“When was the last time any of us actually attended a business application?” he asked investors Bill Gurley and Brad Gerstner during their podcast. “We hardly use them, and somebody in the organisation is sort of inputting data into it,” he said, referring to the numerous cloud software programs that the corporation pays for.
According to Nadella, the intensity increases in the AI era, as handling all that data is now simple. Over the last ten years, the company’s Productivity and Business Processes division, which is supported by LinkedIn and Microsoft 365 subscriptions, has become more profitable.
In the third quarter of the fiscal year, the unit’s operating margin surpassed 58%, up from 33% in the previous year. Compared to the previous year, revenue increased by 10%.
Vaibhav Taneja, an Indian professional, is making waves around the world as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Tesla, earning an incredible $139.5 million in 2024. It is among the largest compensation packages given to a CFO in history.
This amount, which greatly exceeded his base income of $400,000, was primarily derived from stock options and equity awards given to him after his promotion. Taneja was positioned as one of the highest-paid financial executives in company history thanks to this remarkable salary, which surpassed the salaries of prominent tech executives like Satya Nadella and Sundar Pichai.
India is where Vaibhav Taneja’s adventure started. He graduated from Delhi University in 1999 with a Bachelor of Commerce, became a chartered accountant in 2000 through the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, and then became a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the United States in 2006.
He worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in India and the United States for about 17 years, rising to the position of Senior Manager in Assurance. He began his career with the electric vehicle behemoth in 2016 when he joined SolarCity, the solar energy company that Tesla eventually purchased.
Striking Success with Dedication and Hard Work at Tesla
Taneja became an Assistant Corporate Controller at Tesla following the 2017 SolarCity merger. He rose swiftly through the ranks, finally replacing Zach Kirkhorn as Chief Financial Officer in August 2023 after being appointed Chief Accounting Officer in 2019 and promoted to Corporate Controller in 2018.
He currently plays a significant part in Tesla’s Indian expansion strategy as a director of Tesla India Motors and Energy Private Limited. For the most part, Taneja’s record-breaking $139.5 million remuneration plan is stock-based and will vest over a four-year period.
Tesla shares were worth about $250 at the time of the award, but by May 2025, they had increased to $342, making the prize even more profitable. In the same year, his salary surpassed Sundar Pichai’s $10.7 million and Satya Nadella’s $79.1 million.
Additionally, it exceeded the $86 million CFO remuneration record that Nikola’s CFO set in 2020. Taneja belongs to a certain category of business executives as a result.
Why Taneja is Getting High Pay-Cheques Despite Tesla’s Ongoing Challenges?
Despite falling EV deliveries, narrowing margins, and more global competition, Taneja is getting a rise from Tesla. Some say that compensating CEOs who exhibit great financial stewardship is essential for navigating through unpredictable market situations, while others criticise such high executive salaries.
The criticism of Tesla’s executive pay arrangements has increased as a result of Elon Musk, the company’s CEO, facing legal battles over his own revoked $56 billion compensation package.
Taneja is frequently characterised as a calm, strategic leader with extensive knowledge of company integration and financial operations. He is known for his quiet competence rather than flamboyance. Professionals all throughout the world, particularly those from the Indian diaspora, find inspiration in his success story.
With more than 20 years of expertise, Taneja is currently in charge of Tesla’s financial strategy, demonstrating that exceptional achievement can be achieved with technological know-how, global flexibility, and the capacity to negotiate challenging corporate environments.
Satya Narayana Nadella has been the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Microsoft by succeeding Steve Ballmer in 2014 and under him, the company had witnessed considerable growth. On 16th June 2021, Nadella was further appointed as the Executive Chairman of Microsoft, succeeding John W. Thompson.
Nadella is an Indian-American business executive. He is the former Executive Vice President of Microsoft’s Cloud and Enterprise group. His last position was conferred with the job of examining the computing platforms of the company.
Let’s check out the success story of Satya Nadella and look at his education, qualifications, personal life, professional life, history, achievements, controversies, and more.
Satya Nadella Biography
Name
Satya Narayana Nadella
Birthplace
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
Born
August 19, 1967
Nationality
Indian
Citizenship
United States
Education
Manipal Institute of Technology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, University of Chicago
Satya Nadella was born in Hyderabad, India on August 19, 1967. His father, Bukkapuram Nadella Yugandhar was employed as an Indian Administrative Service officer of the 1962 batch. His mother, Prabhavati was a Sanskrit lecturer. His father shifted from Nadella village to Bukkapuram in Anantapuramu district, Andhra Pradesh, and later to Hyderabad.
Satya Nadella was married to Anupama in 1992. The couple has three children: two daughters and one son. His son, Zain is a legally blind quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. The family resides in Clyde Hill and Bellevue, Washington.
Satya Nadella with his wife Anupama and son, Zain
Satya Nadella – Education
Satya Nadella completed his primary education at Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet. He later pursued a Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering from the Manipal Institute of Technology, Karnataka in 1988.
Later, he went abroad for higher studies. He completed his M.S. in computer science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1990. He also pursued an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 1997.
Satya Nadella – Professional Life
Satya Nadella started his career as a member of the technical staff of Sun Microsystems. In 1992, he joined Microsoft. Initially, he worked on the development of Windows NT. He later led major projects related to cloud computingat Microsoft. He held reputable leadership roles in business and enterprises across Microsoft.
He also wrote a book, HitRefresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft’s Soul and Imagine a Better Future for Everyone, in 2017. The book consists of his experience and career at Microsoft. Moreover, he declared that the profits from the book would go to Microsoft Philanthropies via nonprofit organizations.
Satya Nadella’s Book – Hit Refresh
Satya Nadella – Microsoft
Satya Nadella joined Microsoft in 1992 as a young engineer. Nadella was promoted to corporate Vice President of Microsoft Business Solutions in the year 2001. He was later employed as the vice president of Research and Development (R&D) for the Online Services Division (2007-2011) and Microsoft Business Division.
He was then promoted to the President of the Server & Tools Division (2011-2014). He vividly helped the company to bring Microsoft’s database, Windows Server, and developer tools to its Azure cloud. The revenue from Cloud Services grossed $20.3 billion in June 2013 from $16.6 billion when he took over in 2011. Moreover, he received $84.5 million in pay in 2016.
Satya Nadella was appointed as the new CEO of Microsoft company in February 2014. He was sequentially the third CEO of Microsoft, following Bill Gatesand Steve Ballmer. Under Nadella, the company’s stock tripled in September 2018, with a 27% annual growth rate.
After Nadella served Microsoft as its CEO for over 7 years, Nadella was appointed as the Chairman of the firm on June 16, 2021. He succeeded John W. Thompson to become the chairman.
Nadella proclaimed the amalgamation of Microsoft and Linux to rival other companies like Apple, Salesforce, and Dropbox. Microsoft officially joined the Linux Foundation as a Platinum member in 2016.
Moreover, he empowered a cultural shift at Microsoft by highlighting empathy, collaboration, and a growth mindset. He has successfully changed the corporate world of Microsoft into an environment that emphasizes continuous learning and growth.
Satya Nadella’s Strategic Vision
Improve your abilities with compelling and successful Excel demonstrations
Managing undefined responsibilities well for twenty years
Demonstrating remarkable growth and strategic acumen by quickly achieving an amazing 4/10x increase in corporate value
Satya Nadella’s first acquisition with Microsoft was in 2014. The company acquired a Swedish video game developer, Mojang. Another company best known for the computer game, Minecraft was also acquired by him worth $2.5 billion.
He also purchased the software company, Xamarin. He then stepped up by purchasing the professional network, LinkedInworth $26.2 billion in 2016. GitHub was officially acquired by Microsoft on 26 October 2018 for $7.5 billion.
As CEO, Satya Nadella made big changes at Microsoft:
Released Windows 10, skipping Windows 9.
Launched Microsoft Surface Book, the first Microsoft laptop.
Made Microsoft Office available for Apple’s iPad.
Released apps like Microsoft Outlook for iPhone and Android.
Board of Trustees, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Board of Trustees, University of Chicago
Satya Nadella – Awards
He was recognized as the Time 100 honoree in 2018.
He was named Financial Times Person of the Year in 2019.
He was the Fortune Magazine Businessperson of the Year in 2019.
He was recognized as a Global Indian Business Icon at CNBC-TV18’s India Business Leader Awards in Mumbai in the year 2020.
In 2022, Satya Nadella received the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian award, from the Government of India.
In January 2024, Satya Nadella received an honorary Ph.D. from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Satya Nadella – Controversies
On 27 November 2024, Elon Musk shared podcaster Ian Miles Cheong’s complaint with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and said, “This is illegal..” Cheong, in posts on X (formerly Twitter), accused Microsoft’s gaming team of unfairly favoring non-Whites in hiring.
Satya Nadella was highly criticized when he asserted a statement that women should not ask for a raise and should trust the system. The statement was conferred by him while attending an event on Women in Computing. He later wrote an apology letter to Microsoft through email, admitting that he was “Completely wrong”. Before the formal apology to the company, he apologized on Twitter as well.
Satya Nadella – Philanthropist
Satya Nadella is on the board of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Chicago’s board of trustees. All the money from his book Hit Refresh was donated to Microsoft Philanthropies.
Satya Nadella’s story is inspiring to all generations. Satya Nadella didn’t build an enterprise himself. He worked hard to achieve this success. He was selected to run an existing large enterprise depending on his past work and leadership skills.
Nobody cares what degrees you’ve got or from which college or university you’ve graduated from. The only thing that matters is what you can give to the company. The company only cares about your ability to do the job and in Satya Nadella’s case, Microsoft had 22 years to evaluate that. People admire Satya Nadella for his positive leadership skills and empathy towards the employees which have made him the best CEO to work with.
FAQ’s
What is Microsoft CEO name?
Satya Nadella is the current CEO and chairman of Microsoft.
When did Satya Nadella become Microsoft CEO?
Satya Nadella officially became CEO of the company on Feb 4, 2014.
Is Satya Nadella Indian?
Yes, Satya Nadella was born in Hyderabad, India on August 19, 1967.
What is Satya Nadella net worth?
Satya Nadella’s net worth is estimated to be INR 7500 crore as of July 2024.
What is Satya Nadella education?
Satya Nadella has an M.S. in computer science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He has done B.E. in Electrical from the Manipal Institute of Technology, Karnataka, India.
How did Satya Nadella become CEO of Microsoft?
Satya Nadella became CEO of Microsoft in 2014 due to his successful leadership in cloud computing and enterprise services. His innovative vision and results-driven approach impressed Microsoft’s board, leading to his promotion.
What was Satya Nadella first job?
Satya Nadella’s first job was at Sun Microsystems, where he worked as a member of the technology staff before joining Microsoft in 1992.
The Microsoft team led by Satya Nadella and Indian IT giant Infosys have extended their collaboration to support the global acceleration of customers’ adoption of Microsoft Azure and generative AI.
According to a statement from the firm, the strategic partnership is to assist Infosys and Microsoft’s joint clients in realising the return on their technology investments and achieving transformative results. As per a regulatory filing, Infosys would integrate Microsoft’s suite of generative AI services throughout its Solution IP portfolio to introduce distinctive features and assist clients in attaining cost-effectiveness, scalability, and flexibility.
The company’s increased partnership with Infosys will change sectors, improve corporate operations, improve employee satisfaction, and provide consumers with new value. According to Nicole Dezen, Chief Partner Officer at Microsoft, “Together, the two companies will capitalise on the potential of generative AI to provide creative solutions, drive AI adoption, and allow unparalleled innovation for customers.”
Top GitHub Copilot, Infosys
Since Infosys first introduced GitHub Copilot, the two companies have worked together to significantly improve code completion and modernisation. With more than 18,000 developers using GitHub Copilot to produce more than 7 million lines of code, Infosys is currently acknowledged as one of the top users of this platform.
The partnership solves numerous business issues using a customer-centric approach, according to Anand Swaminathan, EVP and Global Industry Leader–Communications, Media, and Technology, Infosys. It offers scalability, agility, and cost-efficiency across important sectors like finance, healthcare, supply chain, and telecommunications.
Adding to Microsoft’s Generative AI Product Line
Infosys was also selected as a strategic supplier to serve Microsoft’s enterprise customers’ cloud and AI workloads. Infosys will integrate Microsoft’s generative AI suite of products throughout its portfolio of Solution IP to deliver distinctive features that assist customers in achieving cost-effectiveness, scalability, and agility.
Together with Microsoft‘s technology, the partnership will accelerate the global adoption of enterprise AI by improving customer experiences and leveraging Infosys’s AI-powered marketing suite, Infosys Aster, and its own portfolio of industry-leading AI and Cloud services, Infosys Topaz and Infosys Cobalt.
Both businesses are concentrating on exchanging best practices for Responsible AI (RAI) as their partnership expands. Via RAI Office, Infosys is a major contributor to the creation of ethical AI guidelines and a major partner in The Microsoft Responsible AI Partner Initiative. Collaboration also includes skill-building activities, which guarantee that workers have the know-how to support these projects.
About Infosys
In terms of consulting and next-generation digital services, Infosys is a world leader. It helps clients negotiate their digital transformation in over 50 countries. With more than 40 years of expertise overseeing the operations and systems of large, international companies, Infosys competently guides its clients through their digital transformation. It has accomplished this by providing the business with an AI-driven core that aids in prioritising the implementation of change.
According to recent studies, Indian-origin CEOs are currently leading some of the world’s most successful companies in a variety of sectors.
From technology to healthcare, these leaders have achieved remarkable success and are now considered among the most influential CEOs in the world.
There is a whole range of companies, starting from IBM, Cognizant, and Adobe to tech giants like Google and Microsoft, mobile mammoths like Nokia, and content kings like OnlyFans, where the CEOs are of Indian origin and are upping the game, no doubt.
So, without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the top Indian CEOs ruling the world in 2023.
Indian Origin CEO- Sundar Pichai (Google and Alphabet)
Pichai Sundararajan, also known as Sundar Pichai, was born in Tamil Nadu, India. He earned a degree from IIT Kharagpur in metallurgical engineering and is a distinguished alumnus of that institution.
He holds an M.S. from Stanford University and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where he was named a Siebel Scholar and a Palmer Scholar.
Pichai began his career as a materials engineer and joined Google as a management executive in 2004 and became the CEO of Google in the year 2015. Pichai was also named as the CEO of Google parent, Alphabet in December 2019, when he replaced Larry Page.
Satya Nadella
Company
Microsoft
Headquarters
One Microsoft Way Redmond, Washington, United States
Revenue
$198.27 billion (2022)
Term of Office
2014-Present
Indian Origin CEO – Satya Nadella (Microsoft)
Hyderabad-born Satya Nadella has a BE from the Manipal Institute of Technology, an MS from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Before joining Microsoft in 1992, he worked at Sun Microsystems as a member of its technology staff.
He became the CEO of Microsoft in 2014 succeeding Steve Ballmer. He also succeeded John W. Thompson and was named Chairman of Microsoft in 2021.
Vivek Sankaran
Company
Albertsons Cos Inc
Headquarters
Boise, Idaho, United States
Revenue
$76.768 billion (2022)
Term of Office
2019-Present
Indian Origin CEO- Vivek Sankaran (Albertsons Companies)
Vivek Sankaran is a well-known business executive in the United States. He is currently the President and CEO of Albertsons Companies, one of the largest food and drug retailers in the U.S., with more than 2,200 stores across 33 states.
Before joining Albertsons in 2019, Sankaran was the CEO of PepsiCo Foods North America, where he led the company’s Frito-Lay and Quaker Foods businesses in the U.S. and Canada. He has also held senior leadership roles at other major companies, including Procter & Gamble and McKinsey & Company.
Under his leadership, Albertsons has continued to expand its digital capabilities, introduce new products and services, and improve its supply chain and logistics operations.
Arvind Krishna
Company
IBM
Headquarters
Armonk, New York, United States
Revenue
$60.53 billion (2022)
Term of Office
2020-Present
Indian Origin CEO- Arvind Krishna (IBM)
The Indian CEO of IBM, who became the Chairman on January 1, 2021, Arvind Krishna was born in Dehradun, India.
He completed his schooling at St Joseph’s Academy, Dehradun, and the Stanes School, Coonoor, Tamil Nadu. He then received a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from IIT Kanpur in 1985 and eventually got a PhD in Electrical Engineering.
Krishna began his career at IBM as an engineer in IBM Research and was promoted to CEO in 2020. He is currently serving IBM as its CEO and Chairman.
Vasant Narasimhan
Company
Novartis AG
Headquarters
Basel, Switzerland
Revenue
$50.5 billion (2022)
Term of Office
2018-Present
Indian Origin CEO – Vasant Narasimhan (Novartis AG)
Narasimhan was born in the United States in 1976 but spent much of his childhood in India. He attended the Syosset High School in New York before earning a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from the University of Chicago.
He went on to complete his MD from Harvard Medical School, as well as a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
After completing his education, Narasimhan worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Company before joining Novartis in 2005. In 2014, he was appointed as the Global Head of Drug Development and Chief Medical Officer for Novartis.
In 2018, Narasimhan was named CEO of Novartis, succeeding Joseph Jimenez.
Sanjay Mehrotra
Company
Micron Technology
Headquarters
Boise, Idaho, United States
Revenue
$27.15 billion (2022)
Term of Office
2017-Present
Indian Origin CEO – Sanjay Mehrotra (Micron Technology)
Kanpur-born Sanjay Mehrotra started his college at BITS Pilani and then transferred to the University of California, Berkeley from where he obtained a Bachelor’s and a Master’s in Electrical Engineering and in Computer Science.
He is the current CEO of Micron Technology, who assumed office when Mark Durcan retired in February 2017.
Previously, he co-founded SanDisk, where he served as the president and CEO until its acquisition by Western Digital in 2016.
Laxman Narasimhan
Company
Starbucks
Headquarters
Seattle, Washington, United States
Revenue
$30.4 billion (2022)
Term of Office
2022-Present
Indian Origin CEO – Laxman Narasimhan (Starbucks)
Laxman holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the College of Engineering, University of Pune, an MA degree in German and International Studies from The Lauder Institute, and an MBA in Finance from The Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania.
He joined Starbucks under the title “interim CEO” in October 2022, and following the transition will succeed interim CEO Howard Schultz. Narasimhan officially assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer of Starbucks in March 2023.
Revathi Advaithi
Company
Flex (formerly Flextronics)
Headquarters
Singapore
Revenue
$29.72 billion (2022)
Term of Office
2019-Present
Indian Origin CEO – Revathi Advaithi (Flex)
The CEO of Flex and an advocate of women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), Revathi Advaithi is an Indian-American business executive, who was born in India.
Advaithi started her career as a shop floor supervisor in Eaton. In 2002, she joined Honeywell and returned to Eaton again, where she worked for 10 long years after becoming the COO. She eventually left Eaton and joined Flex as the company’s CEO in 2019. Revathi is an alumnus of Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BS) and Thunderbird School of Global Management (MBA).
She is an independent director for the board of directors of Uber and Catalyst.org along with her present role. Besides, she also is a member of the MIT Presidential CEO Advisory Board. Revathi was also featured in Fortune’s list of the Most Powerful Women in 2019 and 2020.
Neal Mohan is an accomplished Indian-American executive with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
He began his career at Accenture, where he worked for approximately 1.5 years, before moving on to Microsoft as a manager in the company’s corporate strategy department.
In 2008, Mohan joined Google after the tech giant’s acquisition of DoubleClick. Over the years, he rose through the ranks and became YouTube’s chief product officer in 2015, overseeing the platform’s product and user experience.
Mohan’s impressive educational background and extensive tech industry experience played a significant role in his success. Notably, Neal Mohan, the Indian American business executive, became the CEO of YouTube in February 2023.
Shantanu Narayen
Company
Adobe Inc
Headquarters
San Jose, California, United States
Revenue
$17.6 billion (2022)
Term of Office
2007-Present
Indian Origin CEO – Shantanu Narayen (Adobe)
Born in Hyderabad, India, Shantanu Narayan started his career at Apple. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Osmania University, an MBA from the University of California, Berkley, and an MS from Bowling Green State University.
Narayen joined Adobe in 1998 and got promoted to CEO in December 2007, at the age of 45.
Narayen also represented India in sailing at an Asian Regatta and got his name among the world’s best CEOs by Barron’s Magazine in the year 2016.
Niraj Shah
Company
Wayfair
Headquarters
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Revenue
$12.369 billion (2022)
Term of Office
2002-Present
Indian Origin CEO – Niraj Shah (Wayfair)
Shah earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Cornell University and a master’s degree in engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
After completing his education, Shah started his career as a consultant at the global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, where he worked for several years.
In 2002, he co-founded the online furniture retailer CSN Stores (which later became Wayfair) with his friend and business partner, Steve Conine.
George Kurian
Company
NetApp
Headquarters
San Jose, California, United States
Revenue
$6.549 billion
Term of Office
2015-Present
Indian Origin CEO – George Kurian (NetApp)
After serving as the executive vice president of product operations for two years at NetApp, George Kurian became the CEO and President of the company in June 2015.
Born in Kottayam district, Kerala, he pursued engineering at IIT-Madras, but left six months later to join Princeton University; he also holds an MBA degree from Stanford.
Leena Nair
Company
Chanel
Headquarters
London, United Kingdom
Revenue
$15.6 billion
Term of Office
2022-Present
Indian Origin CEO – Leena Nair (Chanel)
Born on June 11, 1969, in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, Leena Nair was an Electronics Engineering student at Walchand College of Engineering. After completing her graduation, Leena went to XLRI Jamshedpur from where she came out as a gold medallist.
Nair joined Anglo-Dutch company Unilever and was notably appointed as the Chief Human Resource Officer of the firm in 2016. She was recognized as the youngest, first female, and the first Asian ever to achieve the feat. Leena served many leadership positions in the same company before being appointed as the CHRO. Leena Nair was once again announced as the CEO of the French fashion brand, Chanel.
Ravi Kumar S
Company
Cognizant
Headquarters
Teaneck, New Jersey, United States
Revenue
$19.428 billion
Term of Office
2023-Present
Indian Origin CEO – Ravi Kumar S (Cognizant)
Ravi Kumar S. took on the role of CEO at Cognizant in January 2023. His tenure as CEO followed a distinguished career where he served as the President of Infosys from January 2016 to October 2022, contributing to his deep understanding of the IT industry.
Kumar’s educational background is equally impressive, with an engineering degree from Shivaji University in Maharashtra and an MBA from Xavier Institute of Management in Orissa. His journey in the technology sector underscores the increasing presence of Indian-origin CEOs in global tech companies.
Nikesh Arora
Company
Palo Alto Networks
Headquarters
Santa Clara, California, United States
Revenue
$5.818 billion
Term of Office
2018-Present
Indian Origin CEO – Nikesh Arora (Palo Alto Networks)
Nikesh Arora took the role of CEO and Chairman at Palo Alto Networks in June 2018. Prior to this, he worked with Google and SoftBank.
Born to an Indian Air Force Officer, Arora holds a Btech degree in Electrical Engineering from IIT BHU, Varanasi.
Furthermore, Arora also holds a degree from Boston College and an MBA from Northeastern University. Nikesh Arora has retained the CFA that he earned in 1999.
Anjali Sud
Company
Tubi
Headquarters
San Francisco, United States
Revenue
NA
Term of Office
2023-Present
Indian Origin CEO – Anjali Sud (Tubi)
Born in the USA, Detroit, Anjali Sud is an American businesswoman of Indian origin and is popularly known for being the CEO of Vimeo. Sud opted to study at the private school, Phillips Andover Academy at the age of 14.
She eventually received a B.Sc. degree in Finance and Management from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and later topped it off with an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Sud was appointed as a Vimeo CEO in July 2017. She previously served as a General Manager and the Head of Marketing of the company. Sud is also counted as a Board member of Dolby Laboratories. Furthermore, Sud is a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum. She was also listed by Fortune in 2018 under its 40 Under 40 rising business leaders.
Anjali Sud stepped down from her position as Vimeo CEO andjoined Tubi in September 2023, taking on the role of CEO at Fox Corp.’s free streaming service.
Devika Bulchandani was born and raised in India, and she completed her schooling there. She then moved to the United States to pursue higher education, and she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Bulchandani began her career in the advertising industry in 1995, working at several leading agencies such as Ammirati Puris Lintas, J. Walter Thompson, and McCann Erickson. She joined Ogilvy in 1999 as an Account Director and worked her way up the ranks, eventually becoming the Chief Operating Officer of Ogilvy New York in 2017.
In March 2021, Bulchandani was appointed as the CEO of Ogilvy North America, making her the first woman of color to lead the agency.
Jayshree Ullal
Company
Arista Networks
Headquarters
Santa Clara, California, United States
Revenue
$4.381 billion (2022)
Term of Office
2008-Present
Indian Origin CEO – Jayshree Ullal (Arista Networks)
Jayashree Ullal, the President, and CEO of Arista Networks was raised in New Delhi and attended San Francisco State University from where she graduated with a B.S. in Engineering.
She then went on to obtain a Master’s degree in Engineering Management from Santa Clara University.
Rangarajan Raghuram
Company
VMware
Headquarters
Palo Alto, California, United States
Revenue
$13.16 billion (2022)
Term of Office
2021-Present
Indian Origin CEO – Rangarajan Raghuram (VMware)
Rangarajan Raghuram currently serves as the CEO of VMware, who assumed his office on June 1, 2021.
Raghuram joined the company back in 2003 and has held multiple key leadership positions, thus being responsible for influencing the company’s strategies and bringing forth a technological revolution that VMware has seen.
Punit Renjen
Company
Deloitte
Headquarters
London, England
Revenue
$59 billion (2022)
Term of Office
2015-2022
Indian Origin CEO – Punit Renjen (Deloitte)
Renjen was born and raised in India, where he earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Bombay. He later moved to the United States to pursue an MBA from Willamette University’s Atkinson Graduate School of Management in Oregon.
After completing his MBA, Renjen joined Deloitte’s U.S. consulting practice in 1989. He quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a partner in the firm’s consulting practice in 1999.
In 2015, Renjen was appointed as the Global CEO of Deloitte, becoming the first person of Indian origin to lead one of the “Big Four” accounting firms.
On December 31, 2022, Punit retired as Deloitte Global CEO after having served in the role since June 2015. He now serves as Deloitte Global CEO Emeritus.
Ivan Menezes
Company
Diageo
Headquarters
London, England
Revenue
$20.56 billion (2022)
Term of Office
2013-2023
Indian Origin CEO – Ivan Menezes (Diageo)
Ivan Menezes was born in Pune, India, in 1959. Menezes attended high school in Hong Kong and went on to study at the University of Pune in India, where he earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree.
He then moved to the United States to pursue a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
Menezes started his career with Nestle in 1986, working in various roles across Latin America, Europe, and Asia. Menezes joined Diageo in 1997 as a strategy director and was subsequently appointed president and CEO of Diageo North America in 2004.
He was later promoted to the role of Chief Operating Officer in 2012, before becoming CEO in 2013.
Ivan served as the CEO of Diageo from 2013 until his passing in June 2023. Later, in June 2023, Debra Crew was appointed as Diageo’s Chief Executive Officer.
Amrapali ‘Ami’ Gan
Company
OnlyFans
Headquarters
London, England
Revenue
$2.5 billion (2022)
Term of Office
2021-2023
Indian Origin CEO – Amrapali Gan (OnlyFans)
Amrapali Gan has been named the new CEO of the London-based internet content subscription service company, OnlyFans on December 21, 2021, with the founder of the company Tim Stokely stepping down from the role. The NRI Indian CEO has already assumed office on the same date.
Amrapali Gan, or ‘Ami’ Gan, as she is nicknamed, has completed her early and higher education in California, US.
Gan has completed her Associate of Arts degree in Merchandise Marketing from FIDM. She then pursued a Bachelor of Arts in PR and Organisational Communications from California State University.
Furthermore, she also went on to earn her Certificate of Entrepreneurship from Harvard Business School Online. Ami had worked as a consultant with Arcade Agency for around 4 years before being appointed as the CEO of OnlyFans.
In July 2023, Ami Gan resigned as the CEO of OnlyFans after a two-year tenure, with Chief Strategy and Operations Officer Keily Blair stepping in as the new CEO. Ami Gan has started her own new venture, Hoxton Projects.
Sanjay Jha
Company
Global Foundries and Motorola
Headquarters
Malta, New York, United States
Revenue
$2.5 billion (2022)
Term of Office
2014-2018
Indian Origin CEO – Sanjay K Jha (GlobalFoundries and Motorola)
He is the former chief executive officer (CEO) of GlobalFoundries and the former chairman and CEO of Motorola Mobility. Before that, he was the chief operating officer of Qualcomm.
Jha was born in Bhagalpur, Bihar, and holds a BS from the University of Liverpool and a PhD from the University of Strathclyde.
Rajeev Suri
Company
Nokia
Headquarters
Espoo, Finland
Revenue
$25.997 billion (2022)
Term of Office
2014-2020
Indian Origin CEO – Rajeev Suri (Nokia)
Rajeev Suri is an Indian–Singaporean business executive and the former CEO of Nokia from New Delhi, India. Suri joined Nokia in 1995 and held various key positions before being the President and CEO in April 2014, which was after Nokia had repurchased full control of the NSN and sold its phone division to Microsoft Mobile.
Suri holds a B-Tech from the Manipal Institute of Technology. After he left his office at Nokia, Suri in 2020 giving way to its new CEO, Pekka Lundmark, Suri joined Inmarsat, where he joined as a CEO effective from March 1, 2021, onwards.
Francisco D’Souza
Company
Cognizant
Headquarters
Teaneck, New Jersey, United States
Revenue
$19.428 billion (2022)
Term of Office
2007-2019
Indian Origin CEO – Francisco D’Souza (Cognizant)
Francisco D’Souza is among the youngest CEOs in the software services sector and a member of the company’s board of directors. D’Souza joined Cognizant as a co-founder in 1994 and went on to become its CEO in 2007.
The son of an Indian, D’Souza was born in Kenya and is distinguished as the former CEO and Vice Chairman of Cognizant. He holds a BBA from the University of East Asia, Macau, and an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh.
Brian Humphries succeeded Francisco D’Souza as Cognizant’s CEO in April 2019, and later in January 2023, Ravi Kumar S was appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of Cognizant.
Dinesh Paliwal
Company
Harman International
Headquarters
Stamford, Connecticut, United States
Revenue
$2.7 billion (2022)
Term of Office
2007-2020
Indian Origin CEO – Dinesh Paliwal (Harman International)
Born in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, Paliwal holds a BE and an MS degree from IIT Roorkee. He also obtained an MBA from Miami University.
Paliwal is known as the former President and CEO of Harman International, an independent subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, who stepped down from both of the positions and is currently appointed among the Board of Directors of the company.
Before joining Harman, he spent 22 years with ABB Group, where he held the dual role of President of ABB Group with responsibility for the company’s global P&L, and Chairman/CEO – ABB North America.
Ashok Vemuri
Company
Conduent Inc. of Xerox Corporation
Headquarters
Florham Park, New Jersey, United States
Revenue
$3.85 billion (2022)
Term of Office
2016-2019
Indian Origin CEO – Ashok Vemuri (Conduent Inc of Xerox Corporation)
New Delhi-born Ashok Vemuri is one among the Board of Directors for Financial Policy and Public Responsibilities at Kroger and was the former Chief Executive Officer of IGATE and Conduent.
Xerox, the 110-year-old document technology company that over the years came to symbolize everything associated with photocopying, named former iGate-appointed CEO Ashok Vemuri as the new CEO of its back-office outsourcing company, Conduent.
Vemuri was also appointed as the Executive Vice President and CEO of Xerox Business Services LLC.
Ajaypal Singh Banga
Company
Mastercard
Headquarters
Purchase, Harrison, New York, United States
Revenue
$22.23 billion (2022)
Term of Office
2010-2020
Indian Origin CEO – Ajaypal Singh Banga (Mastercard)
Beginning his business career with Nestlé in 1981, Pune-born Ajaypal Singh Banga was appointed as the President and CEO of Mastercard back in July 2010 and retained his office till December 31, 2020, after which he stepped down giving way to Michael Miebach.
He completed his primary education at the Hyderabad Public School in Begumpet and he went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University followed by a PGP in Management from the IIM Ahmedabad.
Banga was nominated by the Biden administration in February 2023 and elected as the President of the World Bank on May 3, 2023.
Born in Ajmer, Rajasthan on May 21, 1984, Parag Agrawal was schooled at Atomic Energy Central School No.4., where he studied with the renowned singer Shreya Ghoshal. Agrawal sat for the Joint Entrance Exam, where he was placed 77th, thereby seizing a chance to be admitted at the IIT Bombay.
He completed his B.Tech. degree in Computer Science and Engineering from the same institute in 2005. Parag then decided to pursue a PhD in computer science from Stanford University, US.
He was the CEO of Twitter, Inc. from November 2021 to October 2022. Agrawal was promoted to the post of Chief Technology Officer (CTO) in October 2017, when he replaced Adam Massinger. This was the last designation that he served before being named as the Chief Executive Officer of the company on November 29, 2021.
Conclusion
CEOs are integral to a company. He/she, when appointed as the CEO of a particular company, manages and monitors the day-to-day operations of the firm, and also stands responsible for strategic planning and decision-making. The CEO is the person who determines the direction of a business and is thus, a respectable as well as a valuable asset of the company.
Therefore, it feels exceptionally good to be an Indian when you get to hear that the CEOs of such big companies that are shaping the modern world are Indian in origin. Hope you find this list of Indian-origin CEOs at the top companies globally useful and informative!
FAQs
Who is the highest paid CEO of India?
Mukesh Ambani, the CEO of Reliance Industries is the highest paid CEO of India.
Who are the top 10 CEO in world?
Top 10 CEO in world are:
Elon Musk
Satya Nadella
Mark Zuckerberg
Andy Jassy
Tim Cook
Jeff Bezos
Jack Dorsey
Arvind Krishna
Warren Buffett
Jamie Dimon
Who are the Indian Origin CEOs leading the world?
Some of the top Indian origin CEOs leading the world are:
While it’s unsurprising that Covid-19 remains a source of concern for CEOs, other concerns include supply chain disruptions, changing consumer behaviour, labour and employee shortages due to stress and poor mental health, and more To tackle the pandemic’s difficulties, corporate leaders all throughout the World had to act quickly and decisively. Some tried their hardest to keep their businesses afloat, but due to a lack of personnel, resources, demand, or sheer luck, they were unable to manage the difficulties and went to the bottom, while others employed their talents and manpower to perfection and kept themselves and their businesses afloat. Some CEOs could not only overcome obstacles and remain steady in their positions but also advance to the top and flourish. Here are the Top 10 Highest-Paid CEOs in the World right now. These rankings are based on the statistics given by the Fortune 500.
Elon Musk is the founder and CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, the most valuable automaker in the World.
Despite not being paid by Tesla, Musk has been the highest-paid CEO in the US for three years. Instead, when the business achieves specific market capitalization and growth benchmarks, he is awarded stock options. With the help of these options, Musk can buy Tesla stock for a remarkable $70 per share, which at the beginning of January 2022 was trading for close to $1,200 per share. In the first quarter of 2022, Tesla generated $18.76 billion in revenue.
By exercising some Tesla stock options granted in 2018, Musk received income in 2022 totalling roughly $23.5 billion.
As of May 25, Elon Musk’s net worth was estimated to be $193 billion. This indicates that Musk has lost 77.6 billion dollars in fortune from the beginning of the year. By net worth, Musk remains the richest person in the World. He also ranked #2 on the Forbes 400 list of 2022.
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple
Earned Compensation: $770.5 Million
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple
Cook became Apple’s CEO in 2011 following the passing of Steve Jobs. He has consistently appeared on lists of the highest-paid CEOs for a number of years.
Apple’s market value has climbed by $2.2 trillion under Cook, and in 2021, the business made $95 billion in profits. The company encountered difficulties due to the global chip scarcity but was successful in starting internal equipment manufacturing.
Apple outperformed every other American corporation on that front, finishing the year with an enormous $95 billion n earnings. In the first quarter of 2022, Apple generated $97.2 billion in revenue.
The estimated current net worth of Tim Cook is $2 billion. As part of a 10-year issuance of shares worth $1.7 billion, he received an astounding $770.5 million in 2021 alone. Most people would find Cook’s $3 million salary acceptable, but it is nothing compared to his $10.7 million bonus and $250 million in stock awards.
In the Forbes list of billionaires of 2022, Cook ranked #1513.
Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA
Earned Compensation: $561 Million
Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA
NVIDIA Corp., founded in 1993, is a tech corporation best known for its graphics chips, artificial intelligence technology, and Shield gaming consoles. Jensen Huang is the company’s co-founder, current CEO, Director, and President.
Due to the company’s share price increasing by about 60 times over the previous ten years, he realized $561 million in 2022 from the expiration options given in 2011 and 2012. From NVIDIA in the fiscal year ended in 2022, Huang got a total compensation of $23.7 million, out of which $900k was his salary, $18 million was awarded as stock, $4 million was his bonus, and $81k came from other types of compensation.
Nvidia, which went public in 1999, is 3.6% owned by Huang. NVIDIA’s revenue increased by 61% to a record $12.46 billion in 2021, and it was $7.10 billion in the first quarter of 2022.
With a $21.3 billion net worth, he came in at #34 on the Forbes 400 list of billionaires for 2022.
Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix
Earned Compensation: $453.5 Million
Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix
The notorious streaming powerhouse Netflix was established in 1997, and Reed Hastings is the company’s co-founder, CEO, and chairman.
In 2021, Netflix generated $24.9 billion in revenue, a 23.8% year-over-year rise, and $5.1 billion in operating profit, an 85% year-over-year increase.
However, as the World reopened after the pandemic, the corporation recently trimmed expenditures due to losing subscribers. Streaming services are another source of rising rivalry for Netflix.
Hastings’ total remuneration for the 2021 fiscal year was $40 million. Of this amount, $442k came from other forms of income, $39 million came from stock options, and $650k came from salary.
Reed Hastings’ net worth was $2.9 billion as of 2022. He also ranked #801 on the Forbes list of billionaires in 2022 and #188 on Forbes 400 (2021).
Leonard Schleifer, CEO of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
Earned Compensation: $452.9 Million
Leonard Schleifer, CEO of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
Leonard Schleifer, the current CEO of the company, founded the biotech company Regeneron Pharmaceuticals in 1988, which deals in the research, creation, testing, manufacturing, and distribution of medications to treat cancer, asthma, and chronic pain.
Due to the company’s REGEN-COV antibody medication for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, revenue increased 89.1% in 2021 to reach $16.07 billion.
The business generated $2.97 billion in revenue in the first quarter of 2022.
Schleifer received a total payout of $6 million. Of this total, $672 thousand came from other forms of income, $4 million came from bonuses, and $1 million came from salaries. Schleifer’s current net worth is $1.1 billion. He also ranked #2324 on the Forbes list of billionaires in 2022 and #339 on Forbes 400 (2020).
Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce
Earned Compensation: $439.4 Million
Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce
In 1999, Benioff established Salesforce, a company that creates cloud-based enterprise software for customer relationship management with the tagline “The End of Software.” Sales force automation, community management, a salesforce platform, solutions tailored to particular industries, digital commerce, customer service and support, collaboration, and marketing automation are some of its solutions. Additionally, the company offers consulting, counselling, support, and training services.
In 2021, revenue increased by 24.7%, reaching a total of $21.25 billion. Revenue increased by 24% year over year to $7.41 billion in the first quarter of 2022.
His base pay of $1,440,000, cash bonuses of $2,816,640, and benefits of $1,291,541 make up his $39,907,534 in yearly income.
Additionally, he was listed #74 on the Forbes 400 in 2021 and #275 on the Forbes list of billionaires in 2022.
Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft
Earned Compensation: $309.4 million
Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft
In 2014, billionaire Satya Nadella succeeded billionaire Steve Ballmer as CEO of Microsoft. Nadella formerly held the position of Microsoft EVP for the cloud and enterprise group. Nadella’s peers probably think he merits a large salary. In place of the company’s faltering mobile strategy, he has steered it toward alternative markets like cloud computing and augmented reality.
A chip shortage that affected Xbox game systems was another issue the corporation had to deal with. Microsoft reported $168 billion in total revenue in 2021, an increase of 17.5%, and $7.8 billion in the first quarter of 2022.
The total remuneration received by Satya Nadella was $49.8 million. A salary of $2.5 million was paid out of this amount, along with bonuses of $14.2 million, stock awards of $33 million, and other forms of compensation of $109 thousand.
In 1991, Kotick was appointed Activision’s CEO. The gaming behemoth creates and publishes interactive entertainment, and its most well-known titles include Call of Duty and World of Warcraft.
Kotick made $296.7 million from the value of vested restricted shares last year. In spite of Kotick’s personal handling of assault claims at the game producer and several lawsuits alleging harassment, and sexism, Microsoft decided to purchase Activision in January for $68.7 billion, making it the company’s largest acquisition to date.
Kotick received total compensation of $826.5k, of which $108.5k came from different sources of compensation, and $718k was salary.
Hock E. Tan, CEO of Broadcom
Earned Compensation: $288 Million
Hock E. Tan, CEO of Broadcom
Tan, raised in Malaysia, received a scholarship to attend MIT before starting his career. Since Avago purchased the semiconductor business in 2015 for $37 billion, he has served as CEO of Broadcom.
A leading provider of infrastructure software and semiconductors, Broadcom is a multinational technology business. It uses infrastructure software, semiconductor products, and IP licensing to operate.
In 2021, the company’s revenue increased 14.9% to $27.4 billion.
Tan received total pay of $60 million, including a salary of $1.2 million, a bonus of $5.4 million, $54 million in stock, and $46,000 in other forms of compensation.
Safra A. Catz, CEO of Oracle
Earned Compensation: $239.5 Million
Safra A. Catz, CEO of Oracle
Safra A. Catz has travelled a long but rewarding path. Prior to joining Oracle as a Senior Vice President in 1999, she worked as a banker. She then joined Mark Hurd as Co-CEO of Oracle in 2014. Hurd retired in 2019, citing health concerns, and Catz took over as CEO.
Oracle has seen slow revenue growth in recent years despite offering products and services that address many facets of corporate information technology settings. It is best recognized for its database software. As of May 2022, the regulatory approval process for Oracle’s $28 billion acquisition of Cerner, a provider of electronic health records, was still ongoing in the United States and Europe.
Catz received a total payout of $10 million. $950 thousand of this total was earned as a salary, $9 million as a bonus, and $96 thousand from other forms of compensation.
Catz has a net worth of $1.4 billion. Additionally, she was listed #19 on the Forbes list of America’s Self-Made Women in 2022 and #1922 on the Forbes list of billionaires in 2022.
Conclusion
While these CEOs are on the top, others are climbing this stairwell, like Eric Yuan, Ann-Marie Campbell, Amrita Ahuja, Satya Nadella, Lisa Barton, and many more. Some of them are doing it at a very fast pace, while others are playing it steady. It won’t be long before these names are among the highest-paid CEOs in the World.
FAQs
Who are the highest-paid CEOs in the world?
Top 10 Highest-Paid CEOs in the world are:
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple
Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA
Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix
Leonard Schleifer, CEO of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce
Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft
Robert A. Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard
Hock E. Tan, CEO of Broadcom
Safra A. Catz, CEO of Oracle
Who is the highest-paid CEO in the world?
Elon Musk is the highest-paid CEO in the world with an annual compensation of $23.5 billion.
Who is the highest-paid female CEO?
Safra A. Catz, CEO of Oracle is the highest-paid female CEO. She got an annual compensation of $239.5 million in 2021.
What is the revenue of Tesla?
Tesla brought a revenue of $53.8 billion in 2021.
What is Elon Musk’s salary at Tesla?
Elon Musk got annual compensation of $23.5 billion from Tesla in 2021.
Who is the richest CEO in the world?
Elon Musk is the richest CEO in the world with a net worth of $227 billion.
