Oracle's Larry Ellison has been the highest paid tech chief on our list each year since Network World started tracking CEO compensation, but his $77.6 million pay package was bested by another tech CEO's enormous windfall in 2011. Of the 50 compensation packages we examined, just two were worth less than $1 million and 12 topped $20 million.
To calculate the value of each CEO's total pay, we use data from the summary compensation table and supporting details contained in proxy statements filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The following figures are taken from the summary compensation table: salary, bonus, stock awards, option awards, non-equity incentive place compensation, changes in pension value and non-qualified deferred compensation earnings, and all other compensation. The estimated value of equity awards represents the grant date fair value for stock awards and stock options granted during the fiscal year.
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Read on to find out which tech CEOs made the most in 2011.
50. Larry Page, Google CEO
Compensation: $1
Page became CEO in April of last year, and he continued to draw only a $1 salary. In 2010 he received a holiday bonus worth $1,785, but he didn't get one in 2011 -- which is why his pay took a big plunge, percentage wise, when it dropped from $1,786 to $1. Nor did he participate in Google's executive bonus plan or equity programs. (Of course, Page isn't going hungry. Thanks to his stash of Google stock, his net worth is pegged at about $18.7 billion.) As a company, Google grew revenue by 29 percent in 2011 (from $29.3 billion to $37.9 billion) and increased its net income by 14 percent (from $8.5 billion to $9.7 billion).
49. Dominic Orr, Aruba Networks CEO, president and chairman
Compensation: 933,429
Aruba upped its revenue from $267 million in 2010 to $397 million in 2011, and turned a loss of $34 million into a $71 million gain in net income. During the same time period, Orr's compensation more than doubled from $400,000 in fiscal 2010 to $933,429 in fiscal 2011. His pay included a $400,000 salary, equity awards valued at $525,001 and perks worth $8,428.
48. Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO and director
Compensation: $1.4 million
Ballmer received compensation valued at $1.38 million in 2011, prompting the company to say he's underpaid compared to his peers. Ballmer's total package is up 2 percent compared to 2010, when he received $1.35 million. Ballmer's 2011 pay package included a $682,500 salary, $685,500 bonus (half of the $1.37 million bonus he was eligible to receive), and a modest $11,915 in perks. At his own request, Ballmer didn't receive any stock awards or option awards. The company, meanwhile, grew revenue and income by 12 percent and 23 percent, respectively, in its 2011 fiscal year. Revenue came in at $69.9 billion, up from $62.5 billion in 2010. Net income hit $23.2 billion, up from $18.8 billion in the prior year.
47. Paul Maritz, VMware CEO
Compensation: $1.6 million
VMware more than doubled its profits in 2011 and grew revenue by 32 percent, yet Maritz saw his compensation cut by more than half. He received a $750,000 salary and $815,625 bonus, but no equity awards (in 2010 his package included stock awards valued at $3.9 million). VMware's revenue for 2011 hit $3.8 billion compared to $2.9 billion in 2010. Net income was $724 million compared to $357 million in 2010.
46. Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com
Compensation: $1.7 million
CEO Bezos' $1.7 million pay package -- which is equal to his 2010 compensation -- included his $81,840 salary plus personal security-related perks worth $1.6 million. Amazon's revenue came in at $48.1 billion, which is up 41 percent compared to $34.2 billion in 2010. Net income, however, took a fall, plunging 45 percent to $631 million in 2011 compared to $1.2 billion in 2010.
45. Oscar Rodriquez, Extreme Networks CEO and president
Compensation: $3.2 million
Rodriguez took the helm of Extreme Networks in August 2010, and in his first year as CEO, he netted a pay package worth $3.2 million. It included a $473,140 salary, $886,435 bonus, equity awards valued at $1.7 million, and perks and other compensations worth $97,714. The company, meanwhile, reported an 8 percent revenue gain to $334 million in fiscal 2011, up from $309 million a year earlier. Net income took a big leap to $2.7 million, up from $227,000 in 2010.
44. Michael Klayko, Brocade CEO
Compensation: $4 million
Klayko, who has led Brocade since 2005, earned a $4 million pay package last year, down 16 percent from $4.8 million in 2010. His 2011 compensation included a $760,096 salary, $1.2 million bonus, equity awards valued at $2 million, and $6,855 worth of perks and other compensation. As a company, Brocade grew revenue by 3 percent in 2011 (from $2.09 billion to $2.15 billion), while net income plunged by 56 percent (from $117 million to $51 million).
43. Michael Dell, Dell CEO and chairman
Compensation: $4.3 million
Bonuses worth $3.4 million boosted Dell's 2011 pay package more than fourfold. (In 2010, at his own request, Dell didn't receive any incentive-based bonuses.) His 2011 compensation also included a $950,000 salary and perks worth $13,373. The company, meanwhile, grew revenue and income by 16 percent and 84 percent, respectively, in its 2011 fiscal year. Revenue came in at $61.5 billion, up from $52.9 billion in 2010. Net income hit $2.6 billion, up from $1.4 billion in the prior year.
42. Jim Balsillie, former RIM co-CEO
Compensation: $5.1 million
In his final full year as co-CEO of Research In Motion, Balsillie took home a $5.1 million pay package, which included a $1.2 million salary, $1.2 million bonus, equity awards valued at $2.7 million, and perks and other compensation worth $23,363. His total pay is up 12 percent from 2010, when he received $4.6 million. Balsillie and his former co-CEO, Mike Lazaridis, were ousted in early 2012, when Thorsten Heins was named president and CEO. Balsillie remains a member of RIM's board and Lazaridis is vice chair.
41. Mike Lazaridis, former RIM co-CEO
Compensation: $5.1 million
Lazaridis also netted a $5.1 million pay package (identical to that of Jim Balsillie) in RIM's 2011 fiscal year, which ended Feb. 26, 2011. During that same time period, RIM reported a 33 percent revenue gain to $19.9 billion, up from $15 billion in 2010. Net income climbed 39 percent to $3.4 billion, up from $2.5 billion in 2010.
40. Greg Spierkel, former Ingram Micro CEO
Compensation: $7 million
Spierkel, who retired early this year, received a $7 million pay package in his final full year as CEO at Ingram Micro. His 2011 compensation included an $850,000 salary, $1.6 million bonus, equity awards valued at $4.6 million, and perks and other compensation worth $22,350. During its 2011 fiscal year, Ingram Micro increased revenue by 5 percent to $36.3 billion, up from $34.6 billion in 2010. Net income, however, fell 23 percent to $244 million, down from $318 million a year earlier.
39. John Coyne, Western Digital CEO
Compensation: $7 million
CEO compensation was flat at Western Digital in 2011, but revenue declined 3 percent and net income took at 47 percent hit. Coyne's $7 million pay package included a $978,846 salary, $4.3 million bonus, equity awards worth $1.7 million, and $43,250 worth of perks and other compensation. The company reported $9.5 billion revenue in fiscal 2011, down from $9.9 billion in 2010. Net income fell to $726 million from $1.4 billion a year earlier.
38. Jim Whitehurst, Red Hat CEO and president
Compensation: $7.4 million
Whitehurst's compensation climbed just 1 percent in 2011, but Red Hat made much bigger gains in revenue and income during the same time period. His $7.4 million pay package included a $750,000 salary, $1.1 million bonus, equity awards valued at $5.5 million, and perks worth $5,539. On the sales front, Red Hat's revenue climbed 22 percent to $909 million, up from $748 million in 2010. Net income increased 23 percent to $107 million, compared to $87 million a year earlier.
37. John McAdam, F5 CEO and president
Compensation: $7.7 million
McAdam's pay took a 13 percent hit, but F5's revenue and profit soared in the opposite direction. His $7.7 million pay package included a $687,119 salary, $613,051 bonus, equity awards valued at $6.4 million, and $600 in perks. As for the company, revenue and income increased by 31 percent and 60 percent, respectively, in F5's 2011 fiscal year. Revenue came in at $1.2 billion, up from $882 million in 2010. Net income hit $241 million, up from $151 million in the prior year.
36. Bill McCracken, CA CEO
Compensation: $8 million
A boost in equity awards led to a more than doubling of McCracken's compensation in 2011. His $8 million pay package for 2011 included a $1 million salary, $1.3 million bonus, stock and option awards valued at $5.5 million, and $214,091 worth of perks and other compensation. CA, meanwhile, saw revenue climb to $4.4 billion, up 5 percent from $4.2 billion in 2010. Net income hit $823 million, up 8 percent from $759 million a year earlier.
35. Mark Templeton, Citrix CEO and president
Compensation: $8.2 million
Templeton's $8.2 million pay package is down 1 percent from his 2010 compensation, but Citrix's sales and profits climbed in the other direction. He received a $862,500 salary, $956,532 bonus, equity awards valued at $6.3 million, and $19,355 worth of perks and other compensation during 2011. The company reported revenue of $2.2 billion, up 18 percent from $1.9 billion in 2010. Net income hit $356 million, up 29 percent from $277 million a year earlier.
34. Tom Georgens, NetApp CEO and president
Compensation: $8.3 million
The value of Georgens' 2011 options awards is half that of last year's grants, driving his total compensation down by one-third. His $8.3 million package for 2011 included an $861,539 salary, $2.2 million bonus, equity awards valued at $5.3 million, and $672 in perks. NetApp, meanwhile, reported revenue of $5.1 billion for a gain of 30 percent compared to $3.9 billion in 2010. Net income hit $673 million, a gain of 68 percent compared to $400 million a year earlier.
33. Enrique Salem, Symantec CEO and president
Compensation: $8.5 million
Salem netted an $8.5 million pay package in 2011, down 6 percent from the $9 million he received the prior year. Salem received a 20 percent salary boost to $750,000, up from $625,000 in 2010. His bonus increased significantly, too, climbing 38 percent to $4.3 million, up from $3.1 million last year. But his equity awards took a big hit. Salem received stock awards valued at $1.7 million (down from $2.4 million) and option awards valued at $1.7 million (down from $2.9 million). The company grew revenue by 3 percent (from $6 billion in 2010 to $6.2 billion in 2011) during its 2011 fiscal year. Profits are a different story, however. Symantec's net income fell 16 percent to $597 million from $714 million in the prior year.
32. Glen Post, CenturyLink CEO and president
Compensation: $8.6 million
CenturyLink's net income and Post's total compensation plunged by nearly the same percentage in 2011. Post's $8.6 million pay package (down 41 percent from $14.6 million) included a $1 million salary, $1.2 million bonus, equity awards valued at $4.7 million, and perks and other compensation worth $1.6 million. The company's revenue more than doubled to $15.4 billion from $7 billion in 2010, while net income dropped to $573 million, down 40 percent from $948 million in 2010.
31. Dirk Meyer, former AMD CEO and president
Compensation: $8.8 million
Meyer resigned from AMD in January of last year, just 10 days into the company's new fiscal year. In that short time, Meyer netted an $8.8 million compensation package, which included $83,623 in salary payments plus $8,680,658 in perks and other compensation -- the bulk of which is payment received as part of his separation agreement with AMD. Rory Read, AMD's current CEO and president, took the reins in August 2011.
30. Jerry Kennelly, Riverbed CEO, president and chairman
Compensation: $9 million
Riverbed co-founder Kennelly netted a $9 million pay package in 2011, an increase of 73 percent compared to his 2010 compensation. His package included a $565,000 salary, $923,161 bonus, equity awards valued at $7.5 million, and $576 in perks. Last year Riverbed reported a 32 percent jump in revenue to $726 million, up from $552 million in 2010. Net income took a big leap (88 percent) to $64 million, up from $34 million a year earlier.
29. Kevin Johnson, Juniper CEO
Compensation: $10.7 million
Johnson's 2011 pay package included a $960,000 salary, $754,320 bonus, equity awards valued at $9 million, and $13,233 in perks. His total compensation, valued at $10.7 million, is up 7 percent from 2010, when he netted $10 million. Juniper's revenue came in at $4.4 billion, which is up 9 percent compared to $4.1 billion in 2010. Net income, however, took a fall, plunging 31 percent to $425 million in 2011 compared to $619 million in 2010.