Despite the prominence of Indian-origin executives in Silicon Valley, only one has secured a spot among the top 10 highest-paid CEOs in the United States. Surprisingly, it is not Sundar Pichai of Google or Satya Nadella of Microsoft, but Nikesh Arora, CEO and chairman of Palo Alto Networks, who has achieved this distinction.
According to a recent report by data analytics firm C-Suite Comp, Arora ranks 10th among the highest-earning CEOs in the US for 2023. The report highlights two metrics, “total compensation granted” and “compensation actually paid” in 2023.
Nikesh Arora is prominently featured in both categories. He stands 4th on the list of “Highest earning CEOs by total compensation granted in 2023,” with earnings of $151.4 million. Additionally, he holds the 10th spot on the list of “Highest earning CEOs by compensation actually paid in 2023,” receiving an annual compensation of $266.4 million.
The list of highest-paid CEOs in the US by “compensation actually paid” is topped by Tesla’s Elon Musk, with a staggering $1.4 billion in 2023, followed by Alexander Karp of Palantir Technologies, who earned $1.1 billion. Other notable names include Hock Tan of Broadcom, Brian Armstrong of Coinbase Global, and Safra Catz of Oracle.
The list of highest-paid CEOs in the US by compensation actually paid in 2023 is topped by Elon Musk of Tesla, who earned an astounding $1.4 billion. Following him is Alexander Karp of Palantir Technologies, with $1.1 billion. Hock Tan of Broadcom ranks third with $767.7 million, while Brian Armstrong of Coinbase Global comes next with $680.9 million. Safra Catz of Oracle earned $304.1 million, closely followed by Brian Chesky of Airbnb with $303.5 million. Jon Winkelried of TPG received $295.1 million, and Jeff Green of Trade Desk earned $291.7 million. Adam Foroughi of AppLovin made $271.3 million, and rounding out the top ten is Nikesh Arora of Palo Alto Networks with $266.4 million.
Nikesh Arora’s career trajectory is impressive. Taking over as CEO of Palo Alto Networks in 2018, Arora has previously held significant roles at Google and SoftBank Group. His background is equally distinguished; born to an Indian Air Force officer, he completed his schooling at Air Force Public School in Delhi.
He earned a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University (now IIT-BHU), followed by an MBA from Northeastern University and an MSc from Boston College.
Arora’s professional journey includes a decade at Google in senior leadership positions, after which he joined SoftBank Group as its president and chief operating officer in 2014. His leadership at Palo Alto Networks has evidently been financially rewarding, positioning him among the highest-paid executives in the United States.
