Elon Musk — Tesla ($56 Billion)

A Delaware court voided Musk's 2018 pay package as not just excessive, but legally unreasonable — still the largest CEO compensation in history at $56 billion. Shareholders had approved performance targets granting him 12% of Tesla equity, yet the court ruled the process flawed, igniting a legal war over who decides executive pay. This payout is 28 times larger than Tim Cook's contentious $99 million award at #2, making it more than any CEO has ever received. The ruling has triggered broader scrutiny of shareholder votes and board independence, reshaping how compensation benchmarks are set.