World’s Highest Paid CEO Earns $101 Million: He is not Musk or Tim Cook

In a world where names like Tim Cook and Mark Zuckerberg dominate headlines, it’s easy to assume they top the list of highest paid CEOs. But leadership and compensation in tech are evolving. This year’s highest-paid CEO isn’t from consumer tech company — he leads a cutting-edge semiconductor firm that most people have never heard of.

Jim Anderson is the CEO of less prevalent company called Coherent which is based in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania. Anderson is now at the top of the highest paid CEO list with a whopping $101.5 million salary in 2024, according to a study by Equilar. Coherent is not the name you often hears, this company makes high-tech equipment for things like laser systems and networks.

According to Equilar’s proxy statement while his base salary is $1.06 million, Anderson actually received just $81,538 in cash along with a $500,000 signing bonus. But here’s the catch — he was given over $100 million in stock awards, which pushed his total compensation past $101 million. That massive stock package made him the only CEO among Equilar’s top 100 earners to cross the 9-figure mark this year.

Jim left behind high profile names like Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan ($95.8 million), Microsoft’s Satya Nadella ($79.1 million), Apple’s Tim Cook ($74.6 million) and other high earning CEOs.

According to a study by Equilar, the median CEO compensation this year was $25.6 million, which is about 9.5% higher than last year. A big reason for this jump? Massive stock awards.

Equilar’s study also found that the median stock award for CEOs jumped by 40.5% year over year. In fact, nearly 75% of a CEO’s total pay now comes from stock, not salary or bonuses. That’s why more and more, CEOs are earning big not just through salary or bonuses, but through stock options.

Who is Jim Anderson?

Jim Anderson is the CEO of Coherent Corp., a leading photonics and laser technology company based in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania. Jim replaced retired Coherent CEO Chuck Mattera last year taking the command as a CEO in Coherent. Appointed in June 2024, Anderson brought over 25 years of experience from top tech firms like AMD, Intel, Broadcom, and Lattice Semiconductor, where he previously served as CEO and other high profile positions.

He holds an MBA and an M.S. in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT. He also detains Masters in electrical engineering degrees from Purdue University and bachelors degree in electrical engineering from University of Minnesota.