CEO Salary & Executive Compensation
Apple AAPL
CEO: Tim Cook · Technology Hardware · 164,000 employees
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple (AAPL), earned $38.6M in total compensation in 2025. Apple receives a Pay-for-Performance grade of D (44/100), with a CEO-to-worker pay ratio of 482:1 and a say-on-pay shareholder approval of 95.9%. The company's 3-year total shareholder return is +9.2%.
How Apple CEO Pay Compares
Tim Cook's $38.6M total compensation is 0% below the Technology Hardware industry median of $38.6M. The 482:1 CEO-to-worker pay ratio is 0% lower than the industry average of 482:1. Shareholders broadly support this compensation, with 95.9% approval.
Apple (AAPL) paid CEO Tim Cook a total of $38.6M — placing the package squarely in the top S&P 500 decile. The mix runs heavily to equity: $19.3M in stock awards and $4.6M in options dwarf the $3.9M base.
The CEO-to-worker pay ratio at Apple is 482x — Tim Cook's pay is over 300 times the median worker pay of $80,000. Ratios at this magnitude reflect either very high CEO compensation, a low-wage workforce mix, or both. Three-year performance has been roughly flat — TSR of 9.2% alongside 11.0% revenue growth. Flat performance over a multi-year window is where pay-versus-performance debates get the most heated: large compensation packages without commensurate shareholder returns are the modal complaint at annual meetings.
Shareholders ratified the compensation package overwhelmingly: 96% of votes cast supported the company's pay practices at the most recent annual meeting. Say-on-pay support above 95% is typical for well-aligned compensation programs without obvious controversy. Apple operates in Technology Hardware with 164,000 employees and $383.3B in annual revenue, and currently carries a market capitalization of $3400.0B. Pay comparisons across companies require controlling for these structural factors — a $20M package at a $10B-revenue tech company reads differently than the same package at a $1B-revenue industrial.
Source: SEC EDGAR — DEF 14A proxy statements for Apple (AAPL).
Compensation Breakdown
Tim Cook's $38.6M total compensation package for fiscal year 2025 includes $3.9M in base salary, $19.3M in stock awards, $4.6M in option awards, and $5.8M in bonus and non-equity incentives.
Compensation History
| Year | Salary | Bonus | Stock Awards | Options | Non-Equity | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $3.9M | - | $19.3M | $4.6M | $5.8M | $4.2M | $38.6M |
| 2024 | $3.5M | - | $17.5M | $4.2M | $5.3M | $3.9M | $35.1M |
| 2023 | $3.2M | - | $16.2M | $3.9M | $4.9M | $3.6M | $32.5M |
| 2022 | $2.7M | - | $13.6M | $3.3M | $4.1M | $3.0M | $27.1M |
All compensation data is sourced from SEC DEF 14A proxy filings submitted to EDGAR. The Economic Policy Institute's CEO pay analysis provides additional context on executive compensation trends across industries.
Named Executive Officers
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple (AAPL), earns $38.6M in total compensation. This includes base salary, stock awards, option awards, and other incentives as reported in the company's most recent DEF 14A proxy statement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple (AAPL), earns $38.6M in total compensation. This includes base salary, stock awards, option awards, and other incentives as reported in the company's most recent DEF 14A proxy statement.
Apple has a Pay-for-Performance Score of D (44/100). The company's 3-year total shareholder return is +9.2%, and the say-on-pay shareholder vote passed with 95.9% approval.
The CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio at Apple is 482:1. The median worker at Apple earns $80K per year, while CEO Tim Cook earns $38.6M in total compensation.
Apple employs approximately 164,000 people. The company operates in the Technology Hardware industry within the Technology sector, generating $383.3B in annual revenue.