Here Are The Highest-Paid CEOs For 2020

While the pandemic has left a lot of families struggling to make ends meet, the income of most of the wealthiest people has remained intact - and a good number of these people include the ones in charge of global companies. 

Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat representing Massachusetts said, in defense of proposed wealth tax, “Many of these CEOs have improved profitability by laying off workers. A tiny handful of people who have shimmied all the way to the top of the greasy pole get all of the rewards, while everyone else gets left behind.”

While some CEOs took pay cuts at first, this proved to be short-lived as many received generous compensation packages running up billions of dollars.

According to this study from the Equilar Institute, the median total compensation for CEOs came in at $15.5 million. Another report in The New York Times reveals significantly higher overall pay packages made possible by stock grants, and bonuses.

This study puts the combined compensation packages of three of the highest-paid CEOS at over $547 million. Interestingly, popular names like Sundar Pichai, Musk, and Zuckerberg weren't on the list - this is not to say however that these names didn't make a fortune in 2020, as the pandemic stricken year saw their net worths skyrocket as well.

Below is a list of the ten highest-paid CEOs of 2020.

1. Chad Richison - Paycom

Chad Richison is the CEO and President of the technology company Paycom. He received a compensation of $211.13 million from Paycom in form of shares of the company's stock, according to the company's SEC filings. Although there is a caveat, which is that he can only access the shares if the price reaches a certain target. 

Chad Richison founded Paycom in 1998 and has remained on as its President and Chief Executive Officer since. The company is the first fully online payroll provider in the United States and reported annual revenue of $841.1 million last year. Its stock(PAYC) is currently trading on the NYSE at $336.79.

2. Amir Dan Rubin - 1Life Healthcare

The CEO and president of 1Life Healthcare earned a total of $199.05 million in 2020.

1Life Healthcare is a health software company. The Company offers healthcare applications for billing, insurance, planning, and other related services. Its membership model includes seamless access to digital health services paired with physical consultations, which are all covered under the health insurance program.

50-year old Amir Dan Rubin has been CEO and President since 2007.

3. John Legere - T-Mobile

In April 2020, John Legere received $137.20 million from T-Mobile following his resignation as CEO, as T-Mobile moved to merge with Sprint in a deal worth $26 billion.

Born in June 1958, John Legere is the former CEO and President of T-Mobile US.

Before the payment he received in April, John Legere was previously paid about $66.5 million starting from 2018, and mostly in stock awards. 

4. Larry Culp - General Electric

Despite laying off 20,000 workers last year, General Electric still paid Chairman and CEO Larry Culp, $73.19 million to make him the fourth highest-paid CEO on the list.

Last week, shareholders rejected the company’s compensation plans in a nonbinding vote, kicking against a revised pay package that would enable Larry Culp to receive as much as $232 million. 58% of the shareholders voted against this.

Founded in 1892, General Electric Company is an American multinational company operating in different sectors like healthcare, aviation, finance, power, renewable energy, etc. Last year, it recorded revenue of $75.62 billion. The company's stock (GE) currently trades on the NYSE at $13.21.

5. Chris Nassetta - Hilton

President and Chief Executive Officer of Hilton received $55.87m compensation in 2020.

According to the Times, this large sum comes although the company laid off a quarter of the corporate staff and recorded losses worth $720 million as the hotel industry was heavily affected by the pandemic. At the end of the year, it recorded a revenue of only about $4 billion.

Founded as far back as 1919 by Conrad Hilton, Hilton Worldwide is a multinational company managing a wide portfolio of hotels and resorts. The company's stock (HLT) is currently trading at the NYSE for $124.13.

6. Mike Sievert - T-Mobile

The current President and CEO of T-Mobile, Mike Sievert, received $54.91million compensation last year after taking over the role as CEO of T-Mobile.

In November 2019, the company announced that Sievart would take over from John Legere after the merger with Sprint, and on the 1st of May, he took over - the same day the merger was finalized. Before the promotion, he was Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Operating Officer.

T- Mobile is the largest wireless voice and data services provider in the United States pulling a revenue of $68.397 billion last year. The company's stock (TMUS) currently trades on NASDAQ at $136.94.

7. Gregory Maffei - Liberty Media

In 2020, Gregory Maffei received total compensation worth $47.12 million. According to reports, the sum marks an increase for the CEO from $44 million in 2019.

Liberty Media is a mass media company that operates three divisions - sports racing Formula One, SiriusXM, and Atlanta Braves. Greg Maffei has been the CEO of the company since 2006. 

The company's stock (LASXMA) currently trades on NASDAQ at $42.02.

8. Reed Hastings - Netflix

Netflix has two CEOs, and both of them made the list. 

Reed Hastings, co-founder, chairman, and co-chief executive officer of Netflix received $43.23 million as compensation in 2020.

2020 was a great year for the streaming service, as it enjoyed massive growth in earnings, share price, and revenue. The company's shares provided a total return of 46.9% over the past 12 months, far above the S&P 500's total return of 14.6%. It recorded a revenue of $25 billion in 2020.

The company's stock (NFLX) is currently trading on NASDAQ at $500.44.

9. Ted Sarandos - Netflix

Ted Sarandos, who's a co-chief executive officer and chief content officer at Netflix, received $39.32 million in compensation last year, about $4 million less than co-CEO Reed Hastings.

10. Robert Bakish - ViacomCBS

President and CEO of ViacomCBS, Robert Bakish received $38.97 million as compensation in 2020, to be the tenth richest CEO on the list.

Robert Bakish has been CEO and President of ViacomCBS since 2019, holding the same position at Viacom before its merger with CBS.

ViacomCBS is a media company focused on entertainment. The company's stock (VIAC) currently trades on NASDAQ at $40.95.