Highest paid CEO of 2025: This CEO takes top spot with 13-figure $1 trillion pay package in focus

As the year draws to an end, we take a look at the highest paid corporate chief in 2025. Tesla, SpaceX, xAI and Neuralink CEO Elon Musk could net a whopping $90 million annually as head of the electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer alone.

This comes after Tesla shareholders approved a massive 13-figure, $1 trillion payout, for the world's richest man. According to an AFP report, the lucrative pay package aims to ensure Elon Musk stays at the EV maker amid its expansion into artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. A vote on the matter drew over 75% support from shareholders, a Tesla official said at the company's annual meeting.

Highest paid CEO of 2025: Elon Musk

Tesla shareholders on November 6 approved the historic, first-of-its-kind in size $1 trillion payout for Elon Musk. Notably, the package is comprised of 12 tiers that “unlock” as and when the world's richest man achieves a milestone for Tesla.

However, according to a Fortune report even just unlocking the most easily achievable tiers gives Elon Musk a guaranteed hefty salary regardless of meeting all goals. Calculations show, Elon Musk is expected to net a $900 milion total payout over the 10-year term — which is a whopping $90 million each year!

What does Elon Musk have to achieve?

According to a Washington Post report, the full pay by Tesla will be awarded in 12 tranches as Elon Musk reaches each milestone. But critics felt that when it comes down to it, the board holds discretion on certain terms of the stock awards, which could make the targets “suggestions rather than mandates”, it said.

• As part of the operational and financial targets, the billionaire is required to sell one million of Tesla's much-touted humanoid robots over the next 10 years, an AP report noted. At present, this number is 0.
• He has to also deliver up to 20 million (2 crore) Tesla cars in the period — double the company's sales over the past two years, it added.
• He must reach 10 million (1 crore) active subscriptions for Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) service.

• He must also deploy at least 1 million (10 lakh) robotaxis in commercial operation.
• Elon Musk must also remain the Tesla CEO for seven and a half years in order to vest in any shares from the new pay package. This is not subject to his divestment from other companies such as xAI and SpaceX.
• He will receive additional 12% shares of Tesla, if market cap increases to at least $8.5 trillion.
• Further, the package requires Elon Musk to outline plans for the succession of Tesla. While he must “develop a framework” for the eventual succession by a new Tesla CEO, his exit from the role is not subject to a timeline, as per the AP report.

Elon Musk set to become world's first trillionaire?

Notably, given the design of Elon Musk's pay package, even if he does fail to achieve 100% targets, the tech mogul will be failing upwards.

The world's richest man will make at least $50 billion in additional Tesla shares, for rocketing the carmaker's market value by 80% (he has previously achieved this last fiscal), doubling vehicle sales, and tripling operational earnings, as per an AP report.

Further, a CNBC report noted that Elon Musk currently derives his compensation entirely in Tesla stock. So, even if the massive trillion-dollar payout doesn't pan out, as Tesla's largest shareholder, he only needs to take the carmaker's stock near $8.5 trillion market cap, to become the world's first-ever trillionaire.

Highest earning tech and non-tech CEOs

In comparison to the other big names in tech, Elon Musk is set to make a windfall — for example, the Fortune report noted that

• Alphabet's Sundar Pichai made $10.7 million,
• Meta's Mark Zuckerberg made $27.2 million,
• Nvidia's Jensen Huang made $34 million,
• Goldman Sachs' Jamie Dimon made $39 million,
• Amazon's Andy Jassy made $40 million in a year,
• Apple's Tim Cook $75 million, and
• Microsoft's Satya Nadella made $96.5 million.

Highest CEO pay packages in 2024

• Defense tech company Axon's CEO Rick Smith took home $164.5 million,
• He was followed by Starbucks chief Brian Niccol who made $95.8 million,
• GE Aerospace’s Larry Culp who made $87.4 million,
• Ares Management’s Michael Arougheti who earned $85.4 million,
• Apple's Tim Cook with $75 million, and
• Microsoft's Satya Nadella with $79.1 million, according to another Fortune report.