Nikesh Arora, the Indian-born CEO of Palo Alto Networks, has achieved the remarkable distinction of becoming the second highest paid top boss in the United States, as reported by The Wall Street Journal’s prestigious list. Arora’s total compensation reached an astonishing $151.43 million, primarily driven by stock options. This recognition underscores the significant contributions of Indian-descent executives in the corporate world, with several others securing spots among the top earners. Notably, Shantanu Narayen of Adobe stands out at number 11, with a compensation of $44.93 million.
The Wall Street Journal’s list further highlights the achievements of Indian-descent leaders, including Sanjay Malhotra (Micron Technology), Ajei Gopal (Ansys), and Reshma Kewalramani (Vertex Pharmaceuticals), who have all ranked within the top 120. Arora’s compensation far exceeds that of renowned tech giants like Elon Musk of Tesla and Sundar Pichai of Alphabet, who have embraced non-traditional compensation structures. While Musk received no compensation, Pichai earned $8.80 million, and Mark Zuckerberg of Meta took home $24.40 million.
Arora’s journey has been marked by notable accomplishments. As an alumnus of Delhi’s Air Force Public School, he went on to hold the position of Google’s chief business officer. In 2014, he left Google and made headlines by leading SoftBank in Japan with a record-breaking compensation package. Since 2018, he has been steering the cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks. At the apex of the list stands Hock Tan of Broadcom, with earnings of $162 million. This prestigious recognition not only reflects Arora’s exceptional leadership but also highlights the growing prominence of Indian executives in the global business landscape.
