Nikesh Arora Became a Billionaire After Another Huge Salary at Palo Alto Networks

Nikesh Arora's estimated compensation: Per year: $220 million Per month: $18.33 million Nikesh Arora, known for securing substantial paychecks throughout his career, has now entered the billionaire club. His journey began at Google, where he was the highest-paid executive in 2012, earning about $51 million and accumulating over $200 million in stock awards before his departure. In 2014, Arora was recruited by SoftBank Group's Masayoshi Son, receiving a record-breaking first-year compensation of $135 million, marking him as the world's highest-paid executive at the time. However, it was his role as the CEO of the cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks that significantly boosted his wealth. Joining Palo Alto Networks in 2018, Arora was granted a $125 million stock and options package. Thanks to the surge in cybersecurity demand following several major hacking incidents, the company's stock price soared, increasing Arora's stake to an estimated $830 million. Arora's total net worth is now around $1.5 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a remarkable feat for a non-founder tech CEO. A large portion of his wealth comes from over 3.4 million options awarded at Palo Alto Networks, all of which he has now vested due to the company achieving its share price targets, including a 300% growth goal. In 2023, Arora sold shares worth nearly $300 million. His future at Palo Alto Networks looks promising, with a potential 2023 compensation of up to 750,000 stock awards, valued over $220 million, based on certain performance conditions. Palo Alto Networks justified this substantial award in its proxy statement, citing Arora's impressive performance in his first five years and the need to retain and engage him with meaningful equity awards.