This summer, The New York Times published coverage of the annual Equilar 200 study which features the largest pay packages awarded to CEOs at U.S. public companies during fiscal year 2021. The 2022 edition marks the 15th year* of Equilar’s partnership with The New York Times to analyze CEO pay among U.S. public companies with revenues over $1 billion.
The 2022 study saw a record number of CEOs awarded nine-figure pay packages. Jeff T. Green, CEO at The Trade Desk, was the recipient of the largest pay package, valued at approximately $835 million in 2021. At right, Figure 1 shows the top 10 highest-paid CEOs in fiscal year 2021, as reported in the summary compensation table of their proxy statements filed to the SEC.
Amit Batish, Director of Content at Equilar and Editor-in-Chief of C-Suite, authored this report. Equilar Researchers Nathan Grantz and Charlie Pontrelli contributed the data and analysis for this study.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Equilar and The New York Times did not conduct the study in 2020.
Methodology Notes: The Equilar 200 includes the largest pay packages awarded to CEOs from U.S.-based or listed companies with more than $1 billion in revenue that filed proxy statements for fiscal year 2021 by April 30, 2022. “Total compensation” is defined as information disclosed in the summary compensation table of company proxy statements filed to the SEC. The figures represent what was awarded to a CEO in fiscal year 2021, and include salary, cash bonuses, stock and options awards valued in their entirety as of the grant date (i.e., grant date fair value), and other compensation (including benefits and perks). These numbers exclude change in pension values and deferred compensation. While many of the companies in the Equilar 200 are consistent from year to year, due to changes in revenue, the list is not the same every year.