Meet the IIT alumnus whose salary exceeds that of Mark Zuckerberg and Sundar Pichai

The Wall Street Journal has released its list of the top 10 highest-earning CEOs in the US. Notably, Indian-origin CEO Nikesh Arora earns more than CEOs of Google, Meta, and Mark Zuckerberg combined. Second on the list with an impressive USD 151.43 million in salary is Arora, the CEO of the well-known cybersecurity business Palo Alto Networks. His pay is a substantial amount more than that of many well-known tech leaders.

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Meet the IIT alumnus whose salary exceeds that of Mark Zuckerberg and Sundar Pichai

July 30, 2024

Nikesh Arora comes in only behind the highest-paid CEO of Broadcom, Hock Tan, thanks to his stellar salary. By contrast, Arora’s profits lead significantly when compared to Zuckerberg’s USD 24.40 million and Pichai’s USD 8.8 million.

Arora’s rise to becoming a top-paid executive is impressive. He started his education at Air Force Public School in Delhi and later obtained a Bachelor of Technology (B Tech) in Electrical Engineering from IIT-BHU. Before joining Palo Alto Networks, Arora had already garnered significant acclaim in the tech industry through his roles at major companies like Google and SoftBank.

Arora was allegedly hired with a USD 51 million contract in 2012, making him the highest-paid executive at Google. He demonstrated his financial savvy and career success by amassing stock awards totaling over USD 200 million after his employment with the massive Silicon Valley company.

Arora has accomplished a lot in his early career. He broke all previous records in Japan during his tenure at SoftBank Group, receiving an enormous first-year remuneration package of USD 135 million. According to Bloomberg, he was seen by his SoftBank colleagues as the next great investor after the venerable Masayoshi Son, demonstrating his significance in the industry.

Last year, Palo Alto Networks stated that, due to Mr. Arora’s substantial vested ownership and the considerable amount he was expected to vest in the coming years, the Board decided that a significant equity award was necessary to retain and engage him. This reflects the company’s dedication to keeping Arora by offering substantial equity awards in recognition of his valuable contributions and leadership.

Nikesh Arora is one of the highest-paid CEOs in the US, and his remarkable earnings and professional accomplishments attest to his considerable influence on the IT sector. His remarkable abilities and determination are demonstrated by his path from an Indian school background to running large software enterprises globally.