Satya Nadella

Microsoft's CEO earned $79 million in total compensation in 2024, making him one of the highest-paid CEOs in tech. Since taking over from Steve Ballmer in 2014, Nadella has increased Microsoft's market cap from $300 billion to over $3 trillion — a 10x return that makes him arguably the best CEO hire in tech history. His early bet on cloud (Azure) and the $13 billion OpenAI investment positioned Microsoft at the center of the AI revolution. His net worth exceeds $1 billion, largely from Microsoft stock and options accumulated over 30+ years at the company.