Updated April 2026 · SEC DEF 14A data
Technology Hardware, CEO Pay Comparison
CEOs in the Technology Hardware sector earn an average of $38.6M per year across 1 tracked public companies. The average CEO-to-worker pay ratio is 482:1, and the average say-on-pay shareholder vote approval is 95.9%.
1 companies tracked · sector rank #4 of 99 for average compensation
Technology Hardware covers 1 U.S. public companies in our SEC proxy-statement dataset. Average CEO compensation in the industry runs $38.6M, with a median of $38.6M — the spread between mean and median is wide because a handful of mega-cap firms pull the average well above the median. Average CEO-to-worker pay ratio in Technology Hardware is 482x, with average say-on-pay approval of 96%. The highest-paid CEO in the industry is at Apple, with total compensation of $38.6M.
Industry-level CEO pay analysis is most useful for peer-group comparisons. Compensation committees explicitly select peer groups when setting CEO pay, so cross-industry comparisons need to control for the peer-group structure that drives the underlying decisions.
What Technology Hardware Pay Looks Like
$38.6M places this industry at the top of the U.S. CEO compensation distribution — rank 4 of 99 sectors tracked here. At this level, equity awards typically dominate the package, and a single mega-grant of restricted stock or performance share units routinely accounts for two-thirds or more of the headline number.
A 482:1 average ratio is in the broad middle of U.S. industry — typical of large enterprise companies where most employees are full-time salaried. The Dodd-Frank pay-ratio disclosure has remained relatively stable for industries in this band.
An average say-on-pay approval of 95.9% is exceptionally strong. Shareholders are aligned with the compensation committee's choices and proxy advisors are not flagging the sector at the company level. Pay-for-Performance grades are mixed in Technology Hardware: roughly 0% A, 0% F, with the remainder split between B, C, and D. Outcomes vary by individual company governance rather than a sector-wide pattern.
Highest Paid CEOs in Technology Hardware
How Technology Hardware Stacks Up Against Other Sectors
Across the 99 sectors tracked by CEOPayWatch, Technology Hardware ranks #4 in average CEO compensation and #2 in average CEO-to-worker pay ratio. Sector-level rankings are computed from the same SEC-disclosed Summary Compensation Table figures used on individual company profiles, so the rank reflects where this industry's median pay package sits in the live distribution rather than a stale annual snapshot. The cross-sector average compensation is $12.2M, which puts Technology Hardware $26.4M above the typical industry baseline.
The dispersion within an industry frequently matters more than the cross-sector ranking. A sector can have a high average compensation driven by two or three mega-pay outliers while the median company is paid modestly. The companies listed above show the top of the pay distribution for Technology Hardware; the full company list further down shows the broader distribution. Both lists link to individual company profiles where the source DEF 14A on SEC EDGAR is one click away.
All Technology Hardware Companies
How These Sector Numbers Are Calculated
The Technology Hardware averages and medians on this page are simple unweighted statistics across the 1 companies CEOPayWatch tracks in the sector. Average and median compensation come from each company's most recent reported total comp in its DEF 14A Summary Compensation Table. Average pay ratio comes from each company's Item 402(u) disclosure. Average say-on-pay approval is the most recent vote share reported in each company's 8-K following its annual meeting. The Pay-for-Performance Grade distribution is computed at the company level from the four-factor composite documented on the methodology page. Authoritative governance context for shareholder votes comes from Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis frameworks.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do Technology Hardware CEOs earn?
Average CEO total compensation in Technology Hardware is $38.6M, with a median of $38.6M across 1 tracked public companies. $38.6M places this industry at the top of the U.S. CEO compensation distribution — rank 4 of 99 sectors tracked here. At this level, equity awards typically dominate the package, and a single mega-grant of restricted stock or performance share units routinely accounts for two-thirds or more of the headline number.
What is the average CEO-to-worker pay ratio in Technology Hardware?
Technology Hardware reports an average CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio of 482:1. A 482:1 average ratio is in the broad middle of U.S. industry — typical of large enterprise companies where most employees are full-time salaried. The Dodd-Frank pay-ratio disclosure has remained relatively stable for industries in this band. The pay-ratio number is required disclosure under SEC Regulation S-K Item 402(u).
Do shareholders approve of Technology Hardware CEO pay packages?
Average say-on-pay shareholder approval in Technology Hardware is 95.9%. An average say-on-pay approval of 95.9% is exceptionally strong. Shareholders are aligned with the compensation committee's choices and proxy advisors are not flagging the sector at the company level.
Where does the Technology Hardware pay data come from?
Every figure on this page is sourced from public SEC DEF 14A proxy statements filed annually with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Summary Compensation Table inside each filing is the authoritative document, available on the SEC EDGAR system at https://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml. Pay-ratio disclosure follows Regulation S-K Item 402(u). Say-on-pay vote totals come from each company's 8-K filed within four business days of the annual meeting.
How does Technology Hardware compare to other sectors?
Among the 99 sectors CEOPayWatch tracks, Technology Hardware ranks #4 in average CEO compensation and #2 in average pay ratio. Compensation in the sector runs $26.4M above the cross-sector average of $12.2M.
Source: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, DEF 14A proxy filings via EDGAR. Public domain.
Last updated 2026-04-06 · 1 companies in the Technology Hardware sector.