If you had to guess, you’d probably say Elon Musk. And you’d be close. In recent years, Musk’s compensation package at Tesla was jaw-dropping—worth tens of billions, mostly tied to wild stock targets. But here’s the twist: he doesn’t take a traditional paycheck. Zero salary. It’s all performance-based, like a video game where the final boss is a Mars colony.
What about Tim Cook at Apple? He’s often in the top five, pulling in nearly $100 million in a good year. But the real king of the castle, according to most lists, flips between Musk and a few others. The key? Stock awards. These aren’t bonuses you can spend on pizza; they’re giant stakes in the company’s future.
