When you think of the world's highest-paid CEOs, the likes of Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Warren Buffett probably spring to mind. They're the richest, after all. But these titans of wealth didn't even crack the top 20 in 2024, as revealed by the Equilar 100, which ranks the 100 biggest compensation packages earned at US-listed companies.

While the latest list does feature plenty of household names, it also throws up some shocks – and the number one is totally unexpected. Read on to discover what 20 of the highest-paid bosses in the world are pulling in right now. 

The annual Equilar study rounds up the most generous CEO pay packages among US-listed companies reporting revenue of a billion dollars or more.

In 2024, median CEO pay surged by 9.5%, outpacing both inflation and average worker pay, while the CEO-to-worker pay gap remained huge at 300 to one. Gender diversity at the very top continues to be limited, with only six women in the top 100 and none in the top 20. Interestingly, the 2024 top 20 includes just three billionaires. But that's not to say these executives aren't astonishingly wealthy...

In 2024, Sumit Singh, the CEO of online pet supplies retailer Chewy, took home $35,186,195 (£26.4m), 936 times more than the firm's typical employee. It's crucial to understand, though, that Singh doesn't make this much every year. Back in 2022, he earned a comparatively meagre $2.5 million (£1.9m).

Like the rest of the top 20 earners, Singh's compensation for 2024 largely consisted of long-term stock options, which in his case amounted to more than $31 million (£23.3m). This shares bonanza has significantly boosted the head honcho's net worth, which has grown to at least $130 million (£97.7m), according to data platform Quiver Quantitative.

One of the more seasoned CEOs in the top 20, Will Lansing has led credit-scoring company FICO since 2012 and held a number of high-profile positions prior to that.

Again, long-term stock options totalling over $33 million (£24.8m) made up the bulk of Lansing's 2024 pay package, with his base salary a relatively modest $750,000 (£564k). The compensation package has further solidified the wealth of this bigwig, who is now flirting with billionaire status.

Staying with CEOs of data analytics firms, the boss of finance software provider Intuit scored a similarly bumper pay deal in 2024, comprised mostly of long-term stock awards – Sasan Goodarzi's base salary for the year amounted to $1.2 million (£902k).

Since Goodarzi became CEO in 2019, Intuit stock has appreciated at a 21% annual growth rate, hence the enormous payday. The dynamic executive's net worth has grown considerably and is now estimated to be at least $284 million (£213m).

American Express enjoyed a stellar 2024 marked by record revenue and a 25% surge in earnings per share. Needless to say, CEO Stephen Squeri has reaped the benefits of this vintage year.

On top of his basic wage of $1.2 million (£902k), the boss of the credit-card colossus was lavished with $10.5 million (£7.9m) in bonuses and stock options of over $24 million (£18m). He's now worth at least $171 million (£128m), according to Quiver Quantitative.

Chuck Robbins has been CEO of Cisco for a decade and an employee of the tech firm since 1997, when he started as a lowly account executive. The long-term staffer has become a centimillionaire off the back of the company, and his 2024 pay package was his largest yet.

Once again, the compensation chiefly consisted of stock options. Last year, Robbins bagged total equity of more than $35 million (£26.3m).

The newest company in the top 20, healthcare titan Solventum was spun off from 3M last year. Its CEO Bryan Hanson, who boasts a wealth of experience in the medtech field, is now sitting on a fortune of at least $44 million (£33.1m), according to finance site Benzinga.

Despite its mixed performance last year, the company awarded him stock worth over $29 million (£22m). Hanson also received the second instalment of his cash 'golden hello' amounting to $6.5 million (£4.9m), on top of his fat base salary and bonuses.

Uber boss Dara Khosrowshahi saw his compensation package jump by more than $15 million (£11.3m) last year.

The ride-hailing tech firm had an excellent 2024 and its share price spiked. Reflecting the company's robust performance, Khosrowshahi received stock options of almost $27 million (£20.4m) and bagged $2.9 million (£2.2m) in bonuses, in addition to his base pay. This has helped take his fortune to an estimated $250 million (£188m).

The richest individual in the top 20, Marc Benioff is worth $9.6 billion (£7.2bn) according to Forbes. The CEO of Salesforce since the get-go in 1999, Benioff has been handsomely rewarded over the years.

In 2024, the tech boss was allocated over $30 million (£22.6m) in stock, as well as chunky bonuses and other extras in addition to his $1.55 million (£1.2m) basic wage.

Bob Iger returned as CEO of The Walt Disney Company in 2022, having previously served as the big boss from 2005 to 2020. The media and entertainment conglomerate has certainly made it worth his while.

Last year, Iger earned a total of $40,618,873 (£30.5m), more than double what he took home in 2020. Yet again, stock awards made up the majority of the package, accounting for over $30 million (£22.6m). Iger's fortune is now pegged at $250 million (£188m), according to the website Celebrity Net Worth.

AI chipmaker Marvell was on a roll last year, and its stock shot up by 83%. Unsurprisingly, Matt Murphy, the company CEO since 2016, was awarded the biggest pay packet of his career, up almost $23 million (£17.3m) from 2023.

Underlying the substantial rise were increased stock options totalling around $42 million (£31.6m). Murphy is now a centimillionaire as a result.

The second-wealthiest CEO in the top 20, CrowdStrike boss George Kurtz is worth $7.4 billion (£5.6bn), according to Forbes. Last year, his pay package was $46,983,855 (£35.3m).

Like Marvell, the cybersecurity firm was riding the AI wave in 2024, and its stock soared too, despite a summertime blip. Kurtz received over $44 million (£33.1m) in share awards and options, an increase of more than $11 million (£8.3m) compared to 2023, along with other plum extras on top of his basic salary of $950,000 (£714k).

Rajiv Ramaswami held senior roles at Broadcom and Cisco before he became CEO of cloud software firm Nutanix in 2020. The company has seen impressive growth under Ramaswami's watch and its share price is up 117% since he assumed the role.

Last year, the centimillionaire enjoyed the fruits of his labours, and then some, bagging almost $50 million (£37.6m) in stock, in addition to bonuses and his base wage of $800,008 (£601k).

Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen has also been propelled to centimillionaire status courtesy of his top-paying executive role.

The boss of the software leader since 2007, Narayen earned over $52 million (£39.1m) last year, up from $31.6 million (£23.8m) in 2022 and $44.9 million (£33.8m) in 2023. As you might have guessed, stock options have made up the lion's share of these gargantuan pay packages.

Nikesh Arora appears to have the Midas touch when it comes to compensation packages. He was once Google's top-paid executive and his deal with Softbank made him the world's highest-paid boss in 2014.

Now heading Palo Alto Networks, Arora is cleaning up nicely. In 2023, he was the second-highest-earning CEO in America when his package totalled $151.4 million (£114m). And last year, Arora received pay topping $58 million (£43.6m) and briefly became a billionaire.

Centimillionaire David Gitlin has been CEO of Carrier since 2019. The HVAC behemoth has thrived under his stewardship, and its share price has steadily risen.

Last year, Gitlin's compensation stood at $65,554,845 (£49.3m), up from $17.7 million (£13.3m) in 2023. His take-home is 1,289 times that of the typical Carrier employee and represents the second-biggest CEO-to-worker pay gap in the top 20. Intriguingly, Gitlin was the favourite to take over as Boeing CEO last year, but Carrier is apparently going all out to retain him.

The best-known CEO in the top 20, Apple boss Tim Cook earned the highest base salary last year, a hefty $3 million (£2.3m), not to mention the biggest bonuses, which came to $12 million (£9m). But, as is the case with the other members of the top 20, stock options made up the bulk of Cook's 2024 compensation package.

Now worth $2.4 billion (£1.8bn), the tech CEO was awarded $58 million (£43.6m) in Apple stock, up from $47 million (£35.3m) in 2023.

Witnessing their company's share price soar is a dream for any CEO, especially when their compensation is tied to the firm's performance. In 2024, Microsoft stock hit an all-time high, and the tech giant's market cap surpassed $3 trillion (£2.3tn).

CEO Satya Nadella has raked it in on the back of this triumph, receiving over $71 million (£53.4m) stock compared to $39.2 million (£29.5m) in 2023, on top of his base salary and bonuses. His net worth is now estimated at $500 million (£376m).

Centimillionaire Larry Culp's compensation in the form of stock options is also linked to performance. Last year, the GE Aerospace CEO was paid a total of $87,393,876 (£65.7m), bettering his 2023 earnings more than sixfold. The number is 1,279 times what the typical company employee got in 2024.

The majority of the package was made up of a one-time stock retention bonus and other generous share awards.

Never mind a golden hello. The new CEO of Starbucks received a platinum hello studded with diamonds when he joined the company last September from Chipotle.

While his basic wage amounted to just $61,538 (£46k), the lowest in the top 20 by a wide margin, Niccol garnered a $5 million (£4.2m) bonus and over $90 million (£76.1m) in stock options. The total package works out at 6,666 times more than the average Starbucks yearly wage, though to be fair, this kind of payday isn't likely to be an annual event.

Jim Anderson, the little-known new CEO of Coherent, was given the mother of all welcome packages upon taking the reins at the laser and semiconductor firm last June.

In addition to his base wage and signing bonus, the luckiest new starter on the planet received over $100 million (£75.2m) in Coherent stock, becoming an instant centimillionaire and America's highest-paid boss to boot.

Now meet the celebrities who turned down multimillion-dollar paydays