Highest Paid CEO In America Bagged A Nine-Figure Package Beating Tim Cook, Satya Nadella And Bob Iger

Jim Anderson, the freshly appointed chief executive of laser‑equipment maker Coherent Corp. (NYSE:COHR), tops the 2024 leaderboard for CEO pay with a staggering $101.5 million package — the only nine‑figure haul in a new study that looked at CEO compensation structures across American companies with a revenue of $1 billion and more.

What Happened: According to the Equilar 100 study, Anderson joined the Saxonburg, Pa., firm in June 2024 with a pro‑rated cash salary of just $81,538 and a $500,000 signing bonus, but Coherent's board sweetened the pot with more than $100 million in stock awards, according to its proxy filing.

He edges out Starbucks boss Brian Niccol, who collected $95.8 million, and eclipses marquee names such as Microsoft Corp's (NASDAQ:MSFT) Satya Nadella ($79.1 million), Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) Tim Cook ($74.6 million) and Disney's (NYSE:DIS) Bob Iger ($40.6 million).

See also: Steve Jobs Warned The Difference Between Good And Great Software Engineers Is ’50‑To‑1,’ Admitted Firing Non-Performers Was ‘Very Painful’ Yet Necessary

Equilar's snapshot, which reviews proxy statements filed through March 31, pegs median CEO compensation at $25.6 million, up 9.5% from a year earlier. Sky‑high equity grants are doing the heavy lifting: median stock awards jumped 40.5% and now account for nearly three‑quarters of total pay.

What To Know: A rather recent report from Oxfam warns that global income inequality is widening. CEOs now earn 50% more in real terms than they did in 2019, while rank‑and‑file wages barely budged.

In a joint study with the International Trade Union Confederation, the charity examined nearly 2,000 firms in 35 countries and found that average chief executive pay hit $4.3 million in 2024, up from $2.9 million five years ago after inflation.

Workers, by contrast, saw their paychecks edge up just 0.9% over the same span. The researchers pulled full compensation packages — including bonuses and stock options — from the S&P Capital IQ database and called for sweeping reforms to what they deem a system "rigged for the ultra‑rich."

Separate data only highlight the gap: only 19 U.S. households — among them Elon Musk, Warren Buffett and Jeff Bezos — added a collective $1 trillion to their net worth last year.

Image via Shutterstock

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