Top 30 richest CEOs in the world: Who is the highest-paid?
Getting to be appointed a CEO of a big company means you bring onboard exceptional talent and experience. In some cases, the richest CEOs in the world happen to be founders of their own companies, which started small and turned into success stories. CEOs are the ones who carry a company's vision, and for that reason, they are paid a lot more than other employees.
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The highest-paid CEOs in the world are highly sought after because they can turn around the fortunes of any company. They have helped their companies expand beyond national borders to become global magnates. Such individuals don't adhere to any rules but have their unique ways of running a company.
Richest CEOs in the world
A CEO's salary cannot be the same as other employees for obvious reasons. Apart from being the boss, a CEO steers the company in the direction it needs to head. So who is the richest CEO in the world?
1. Elon Musk - $199 billion
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- Born: 20 June 1971
- Company: SpaceX, Tesla, Inc.
- Net worth: $199 billion
- Partner: Grimes (2018-2022)
Musk is a South African-born Canadian-American entrepreneur and business magnate who is the highest-paid CEO in the world. He is the CEO and CTO of SpaceX and the CEO of Tesla Motors. In addition, he has founded many other companies and holds several titles, such as chairman of SolarCity and founder of The Boring Company.
2. Jeff Bezos - 168 billion
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- Born: 12 January 1964
- Company: Amazon
- Net worth: 168 billion
- Partner: Lauren Sanchez
Jeff Bezos is the founder, executive chairman and former CEO and president of Amazon, a multinational technology company that deals with e-commerce, digital streaming, cloud computing and artificial intelligence.
He is the second richest person in the world as of 2022. Apart from being an entrepreneur, he is an investor, media proprietor, commercial astronaut, and computer engineer.
3. Steve Ballmer - $101 billion
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- Born: 24 March 1956
- Company: Microsoft, Los Angeles Clippers
- Net worth: $101 billion
- Partner: Connie Snyder
Ballmer is an American business magnate and investor best known as the former CEO of Microsoft (2000-2014). During his time in the company, he was one of the highest-paid CEOs in America. Today, he owns the Los Angeles Clippers of the NBA. He is the eighth richest person in the world.
4. Mark Zuckerberg - $75 billion
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- Born: 14 May 1984
- Company: Meta Platforms (Formerly Facebook, Inc.)
- Net worth: $75 billion
- Partner: Priscilla Chan
Media magnate, entrepreneur and philanthropist Mark Zuckerberg is the founder and CEO of Facebook and its parent company, Meta Platforms. Thanks to the popularity of Facebook, he is among the highest-paid CEOs in the world.
5. Phil Knight - $63 billion
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- Born: 24 February 1938
- Company: Nike, Inc.
- Net worth: $63 billion
- Partner: Penelope Knight
The American business guru founded Nike, Inc. and served as its chairman and CEO. He also owns a film production company known as Laika. In addition, Knight has donated more than $2 billion to his alma maters as a philanthropist.
6. Jack Ma - $50 billion
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- Born: 10 September 1964
- Company: Alibaba Group
- Net worth: $50 billion
- Partner: Zhang Ying
Ma is a Chinese businessman and investor who is the co-founder and former CEO of the Alibaba Group. He is also a co-founder of a private equity firm named Yunfeng Capital. He retired from Alibaba in 2018 to focus on philanthropy, environmental causes and educational work.
7. Leonardo Del Vecchio - $33 billion
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- Born: 22 May 1935
- Company: Luxottica
- Net worth: $33 billion
- Partner: (Unknown)
He is an Italian businessman who founded Luxottica, for which he acts as the CEO. His company is the largest producer and retailer of glasses and frames. He is the second richest man in Italy.
8. Michael Dell - $30 billion
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- Born: 23 February 1965
- Company: Dell Technologies
- Net worth: $30 billion
- Partner: Susan Lynn Lieberman
Michael Dell is the founder, chairman and CEO of Dell Technologies. It is among the largest technology infrastructure companies in the world. As of 2022, Michael Dell is the 20th richest person on the planet.
9. Eric Schmidt - $28 billion
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- Born: 27 April 1955
- Company: Google
- Net worth: $28 billion
- Partner: Wendy Boyle
He is a software engineer and businessman known for having been the CEO of Google from 2001 to 2011. That alone puts him on the list of highest-paid CEOs in America. From 2011 to 2015, he was chairman of Google and executive chairman of Alphabet Inc. in 2015 and 2017.
10. Rupert Murdoch - $20 billion
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- Born: 11 March 1931
- Company: News Corporation
- Net worth: $20 billion
- Partner: Jerry Hall
Murdoch is an Australian-American oligarch, investor and media tycoon. He is the owner of the News Corporation Company, which has hundreds of local, national and international publishing outlets.
These include UK's The Sun and The Times, Australia’s The Daily Telegraph, The Australian and Herald Sun, and US’ New York Post and The Wall Street Journal.
11. Ernesto Bertarelli - $15 billion
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- Born: 22 September 1965
- Company: Waypoint Capital Group
- Net worth: $15 billion
- Partner: Kirsty Roper (Divorced 2021)
Ernesto Bertarelli is the chairman of the Waypoint Capital Group and the co-chair of the Bertarelli Foundation. He was CEO of Serono pharm*ceutical company, but the family sold it in 2007 for $13.3 billion. After that, he became a board director of UBS AG.
12. Dhanin Chearavanont - $12.1 billion
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- Born: 19 April 1939
- Company: CP Group
- Net worth: $12.1 billion
- Partner: Thewi Chearavanont
Dhanin is a Thai businessman who is the senior chairman of Charoen Pokphand Group. It is the largest private company in Thailand. The Chearavanont Brothers are the wealthiest in Thailand.
13. Ananda Krishnan - $11.8 billion
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- Born: 1 April 1938
- Company: PanOcean Management Ltd
- Net worth: $11.8 billion
- Partner: Unknown
He is a Malaysian businessman who serves as the chairman of Usaha Tegas Sdn Bhd. He is also the founder of the Yu Cai Foundation. Ananda is the third-wealthiest person in Malaysia. His business interests range from media, oil and gas, and satellite to telecommunications.
14. Steve Jobs - $10.2 billion
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- Born: 24 February 1955
- Company: Apple
- Net worth: $10.2 billion
- Partner: Laurene Powell
Jobs was the co-founder, chairman and CEO of Apple before his death in 2011. He was also the founder of Pixar and a member of The Walt Disney Company's board of directors. He is also associated with NeXt, for which he was CEO and founder.
15. Charles Ergen - $10 billion
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- Born: 1 March 1953
- Company: Dish Network/ EchoStar
- Net worth: $10 billion
- Partner: Candy Ergen
Ergen is the co-founder and chairman of Dish Network as well as EchoStar. His business journey started in 1980 when he teamed up with his future wife Candy and Jim DeFranco, and they founded EchSphere Corporation.
16. Marc Benioff - $9.7 billion
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- Born: 25 September 1964
- Company: Salesforce
- Net worth: $9.7 billion
- Partner: Lynne Krilich
Billionaire Benioff is the owner of Time magazine and the co-founder, chairman, and co-CEO of Salesforce. It is an enterprise cloud computing company that offers software as a service.
17. Galen Weston - $9 billion
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- Born: 29 October 1940
- Company: George Weston Limited
- Net worth: $9 billion
- Partner: Hilary Frayne
Galen Weston is Canada’s richest CEO. The businessman serves as the Chairman Emeritus of George Weston Limited. The company deals with food processing and distribution.
18. John Malone - $9 billion
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- Born: 7 March 1941
- Company: Liberty Media, Liberty Global, Qurate Retail Group
- Net worth: $9 billion
- Partner: Leslie Malone
He is a billionaire businessman, philanthropist and landowner. He served as CEO of Telecommunications Inc. for 24 years, from 1973 to 1996. He is the current chairman of Liberty Media, Qurate Retail Group, and Liberty Global.
19. Shahid Khan - $9 billion
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- Born: 18 July 1950
- Company: Flex-N-Gate
- Net worth: $9 billion
- Partner: Ann Carlson Khan
Mr Khan is a Pakistani-American businessman and sports tycoon. He owns Flex-N-Gate, which is an American automotive company. Other companies he owns include Fulham FC of the EFL, Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL, and All Elite Wrestling.
20. Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen - $8.6 billion
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- Born: 27 December 27, 1947
- Company: The Lego Group
- Net worth: $8.6 billion
- Partner: Camilla Kristiansen
Kjeld Kirk is the former president and CEO of The Lego Group. His net worth of $8.6 billion makes him the third-richest Dane. Currently, he serves as owner and vice-chairman of the board at Lego.
21. Xavier Niel - $8.1 billion
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- Born: 25 August 1967
- Company: Iliad
- Net worth: $8.1 billion
- Partner: Delphine Arnault
Xavier is a French billionaire businessman who has ventured into telecommunications and technology. He is the co-owner of Le Monde and the founder and major shareholder of Iliad. It is a French internet service provider and mobile operator.
22. Pham Nhat Vuong - $8 billion
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- Born: 5 August 1968
- Company: Vingroup
- Net worth: $8 billion
- Partner: Pham Thu Hu’o’ng
He is a Vietnamese property developer and the first billionaire in his country. He founded Vingroup, for which he is the chairman. He founded Technocom but sold the company to Nestle in 2009.
23. Tsai Wan-Tsai - $7.8 billion
Source: Twitter
- Born: 5 August 1929
- Company: Fubon Group
- Net worth: $7.8 billion
- Partner: Unknown
He was a Taiwanese banker and former member of the Legislative Yuan. He founded the Fubon Group, becoming one of the richest individuals in Taiwan.
24. Galen Weston Jr - $7.6 billion
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- Born: 19 December 1972
- Company: George Weston Limited
- Net worth: $7.6 billion
- Partner: Alexandra Schmidt
He is the son of Galen Weston Sr. and the Chairman and CEO of George Weston Limited. He also serves as the chairman and president of Loblaw Companies Limited.
25. Augusto & Giorgio Perfetti - $7.5 billion
Source: Twitter
- Born: Lainate, Milan
- Company: Perfetti Van Melle
- Net worth: $7.5 billion
- Partner: Unknown
Brothers Augusto and Giorgio Perfetti are the owners of candy and gum producer Perfetti Van Melle. They also own Spain’s Chupa Chups.
26. Jean-Claude Decaux - $6.9 billion
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- Born: 15 September 1937
- Company: JCDecaux
- Net worth: $6.9 billion
- Partner: Danielle Decaux
He was a French entrepreneur who ventured into advertising. He was the founder and honorary chair of his company, JCDecaux, before his death in 2016.
27. Nicky Oppenheimer - $6.7 billion
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- Born: 8 June 1945
- Company: De Beers
- Net worth: $6.7 billion
- Partner: Orcillia Lasch
Nicky is a South African businessman that previously served as the chairman of De Beers diamond mining company. He also acted as deputy chairman of Anglo American and chairman of Diamond Trading Company.
28. Samuel Truett Cathy - $6.6 billion
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- Born: 14 March 1921
- Company: Chick-fil-A
- Net worth: $6.6 billion
- Partner: Jeannette McNeil Cathy (Died 2015)
He is an American businessman, author, philanthropist and investor. He founded his company, Chick-fil-A, in 1946. He is also the founder of Upscale Pizza in Fayetteville.
29. Reed Hastings - $6.3 billion
Source: Getty Images
- Born: 8 October 1960
- Company: Netflix
- Net worth: $6.3 billion
- Partner: Patricia Quillin
The American businessman co-founded Netflix, for which he is the chairman and co-CEO. He also sits on several boards of NGOs.
30. Thomas Schmidheiny - $6.3 billion
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- Born: 17 December 1945
- Company: Holcim
- Net worth: $6.3 billion
- Partner: Suzanne Lise Mireille Weber
The Swiss billionaire businessman is a former chairman of Holcim. It is a cement and concrete manufacturing company. He resigned from chairmanship but retained his position as a board member.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is the youngest CEO? At 26 years, Alex Rodrigues is the youngest CEO globally, with a net worth between $350 million and $450 million.
- Who is the richest CEO in 2021? Elon Musk is the richest CEO in the world as of 2022.
- Who is the top 10 CEO? Rupert Murdoch is the 10th richest CEO in the world in 2022.
- Who is the richest CEO in the world? Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk is the richest CEO in the world.
- IS Bill Gates the richest CEO in the world? No, he dropped down the pecking orders after stepping down as Microsoft CEO.
- Which CEO is a billionaire? Jeff Bezos is the billionaire CEO. In 2020, he broke the record by becoming the first person ever whose wealth was over $200 billion.
The richest CEOs in the world are people who have achieved self-actualization and are not motivated by money. They hold their positions because they are the best at what they do, so their roles come with top executive salaries. To them, their salaries are like a sand pebble on a beach because they make a lot more money for their companies.
Yen.com.gh shared an interesting article about the richest footballers in the world. The richest footballers in the world make their money both on and off the pitch through salaries and endorsements. Other factors that may increase their income include getting a bonus per goal, providing an assist, scoring a hattrick, keeping a clean sheet, and winning a trophy.
Footballers' salaries have been on the rise in the past few years. As the sport grows both in the fanbase and revenue collection, players' salaries are revised upwards. This is why modern footballers are wealthier than the greats who plied their trade a couple of years ago.
Source: YEN.com.gh
