Bill McDermott, CEO of ServiceNow (NOW), earned $15.6M in total compensation in 2025. ServiceNow receives a Pay-for-Performance grade of A (89/100), with a CEO-to-worker pay ratio of 98:1 and a say-on-pay shareholder approval of 92.8%. The company's 3-year total shareholder return is +59.6%.
How ServiceNow CEO Pay Compares
Bill McDermott's $15.6M total compensation is 1% below the Software industry median of $15.7M. The 98:1 CEO-to-worker pay ratio is 27% lower than the industry average of 134:1.
Total comp for Bill McDermott as CEO of ServiceNow (NOW) was $15.6M. Equity awards dominate the package — $7.8M in stock plus $1.9M in options — with base salary of $1.6M a small share of the total.
The CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio runs 98x. Lower ratios typically reflect companies with higher-paid workforces (financial services, technology, professional services) where the median worker pay denominator is itself substantial. Performance over the same three-year window has been strong: ServiceNow delivered a 3-year total shareholder return of 59.6% on top of 38.6% revenue growth. Pay packages of this size are easier to defend when the underlying performance is delivering.
Say-on-pay support was strong at 93%. The Dodd-Frank-mandated advisory vote on executive compensation passes at most U.S. public companies with comfortable margins; meaningful dissent typically requires either pay-performance misalignment or specific governance concerns. ServiceNow operates in Software with 23,700 employees and $10.5B in annual revenue, and currently carries a market capitalization of $180.0B. 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 ServiceNow (NOW).
Compensation Breakdown
Bill McDermott's $15.6M total compensation package for fiscal year 2025 includes $1.6M in base salary, $7.8M in stock awards, $1.9M in option awards, and $2.3M in bonus and non-equity incentives.
Compensation History
| Year | Salary | Bonus | Stock Awards | Options | Non-Equity | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1.6M | - | $7.8M | $1.9M | $2.3M | $1.7M | $15.6M |
| 2024 | $1.4M | - | $7.0M | $1.7M | $2.1M | $1.5M | $14.0M |
| 2023 | $1.3M | - | $6.4M | $1.5M | $1.9M | $1.4M | $12.8M |
| 2022 | $1.2M | - | $6.0M | $1.4M | $1.8M | $1.3M | $12.0M |
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
Peer CEO Compensation
Bill McDermott, CEO of ServiceNow (NOW), earns $15.6M 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
Bill McDermott, CEO of ServiceNow (NOW), earns $15.6M 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.
ServiceNow has a Pay-for-Performance Score of A (89/100). The company's 3-year total shareholder return is +59.6%, and the say-on-pay shareholder vote passed with 92.8% approval.
The CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio at ServiceNow is 98:1. The median worker at ServiceNow earns $160K per year, while CEO Bill McDermott earns $15.6M in total compensation.
ServiceNow employs approximately 23,700 people. The company operates in the Software industry within the Technology sector, generating $10.5B in annual revenue.