Apple CEO Tim Cook Now the Eighth Highest-Paid Executive in the U.S. - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple CEO Tim Cook Now the Eighth Highest-Paid Executive in the U.S.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has fallen to eighth place on a list of the highest-paid CEOs and executives in the United States last year despite earning more than the previous year, according to Bloomberg.

Tim Cook Feature Yellow
Cook was paid $265 million in 2020, mainly comprising stock awards and a bonus as in previous years, making him the eighth highest-paid executive in the United States. Last year, Cook was paid compensation of $133.7 million, but ranked second after Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who was paid $595.3 million.

Cook has overseen Apple's rise to become the most profitable company in the world this year with revenue of $274.515 billion and profit of $57.411 billion, according to the Fortune Global 500 rankings.

In 2020, Cook was surpassed in terms of pay by the COO of Oak Street Health, the CEO of Palantir Technologies, the CEO of Opendoor Technologies, and the Co-CEOs of GoodRX Holdings. Elon Musk again overwhelmingly topped the list with compensation amounting to $6.658 billion.

Last month, it was alleged that Musk demanded to become the CEO of Apple as part of early discussions around a potential Apple acquisition of Tesla, though Musk denies this.

Apple's Senior Vice President of Retail and People Deirdre O'Brien and Senior Vice President and General Counsel Kate Adams also made the list in 93rd and 96th place, with pay of $45 million each. This makes O'Brien and Adams the fourth and fifth-highest paid women executives in the United States.

Popular Stories

iphone duo feature

Tim Cook Explains Why He Stepped Down as Apple CEO Before iPhone Duo Launch

Thursday October 8, 2026 11:05 am PDT by
The Independent's David Phelan on Wednesday interviewed Apple's executive chairman Tim Cook at Apple's U.K. headquarters in the Battersea Power Station, and one of the topics they discussed was John Ternus taking over as Apple's CEO. Ternus, who was previously Apple's hardware engineering chief, succeeded Cook as Apple's CEO on September 1. Cook said the transition "started years ago."...
iPhone 4 on Black Feature

Full iPhone 4 'Antennagate' Q&A Video Surfaces After 16 Years

Thursday September 24, 2026 5:39 am PDT by
A 47-minute video of the Q&A session from Apple's 2010 iPhone 4 "antennagate" press conference has surfaced on YouTube, showing Steve Jobs, Tim Cook, and Bob Mansfield answering reporters' questions. The recording was highlighted by Daring Fireball's John Gruber, who attended the event. Apple called the July 16, 2010 press conference amid complaints that holding the iPhone 4 in a particular...
tim cook john ternus apple ceo

Tim Cook Says He's 'Not Meddling' With Apple's New CEO John Ternus

Thursday October 8, 2026 11:15 am PDT by
In his new role as the executive chairman of Apple's board of directors, Tim Cook told The Independent's David Phelan that he is "not meddling" with Apple's new CEO John Ternus. "First of all, John and I have an incredible level of trust in each other," said Cook. "The relationship must be based on trust, and the communication must be frequent and significant. But other than that, what I'm...

Top Rated Comments

AppleFan91 Avatar
68 months ago
Not attacking Cook, I think he’s a great leader.
That being said, something about his pay DOUBLING, yet he still falls down to 8th while the world is going through a pandemic just seems….wrong.

Seems like the top level guys, once again, saw their wealth increase exponentially while the rest of us struggled during the pandemic.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Pafoofnik Avatar
68 months ago
Hmmmm... Now I think I know why I'm paying three grand for a laptop that'll be obsolete in two years.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
68 months ago
Whats interesting is CEOs in the 1950s never got paid so much of a difference to employees and you had a big thriving middle class, you did not need two earners to own a home and raise a family.

interesting the stark difference today where Gen-Z really have a **** future.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
beanbaguk Avatar
68 months ago
And to top it off, he's managed it by "saving the world" by not including cables or chargers with our new phones! Genius!
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
68 months ago

Hmmmm... Now I think I know why I'm paying three grand for a laptop that'll be obsolete in two years.
Why don't you just buy an Apple laptop rather than whatever is going to be obsolete that quickly? ;)
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️ Avatar
68 months ago
Well deserved Mr. Cook. I still think he’s under paid based on what he has done at Apple so far.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Latest Stories
Apple's October 28 'Pro and Tell' Launch: What's Coming
Apple's October 28 'Pro and Tell' Launch: What's Coming
10 hours ago
Apple Limiting U.S. iPhone Duo Orders to Two Per Customer
Apple Limiting U.S. iPhone Duo Orders to Two Per Customer
10 hours ago
Apple Buys AI Audio Editing App Samplab
Apple Buys AI Audio Editing App Samplab
11 hours ago
EFF's Privacy Badger Anti-Tracking Extension Expands to Safari
EFF's Privacy Badger Anti-Tracking Extension Expands to Safari
12 hours ago
HomePod 27.2 Adds Sound Glow to Existing HomePod Models
HomePod 27.2 Adds Sound Glow to Existing HomePod Models
13 hours ago
Apple Starts Moving Up iPhone Duo Delivery Dates
Apple Starts Moving Up iPhone Duo Delivery Dates
14 hours ago
tvOS 27.2 RC Lays Groundwork for HomePod Surround Sound
tvOS 27.2 RC Lays Groundwork for HomePod Surround Sound
14 hours ago
Apple Says iPhone Duo Not Available on Walk-In Basis in Two Countries
Apple Says iPhone Duo Not Available on Walk-In Basis in Two Countries
15 hours ago
Apple Seeds macOS Golden Gate 27.2 Release Candidate to Developers
Apple Seeds macOS Golden Gate 27.2 Release Candidate to Developers
16 hours ago
Apple Releases iOS 27.2 Release Candidate
Apple Releases iOS 27.2 Release Candidate
16 hours ago
Apple Seeds watchOS 27.2, tvOS 27.2 and visionOS 27.2 Release Candidates
Apple Seeds watchOS 27.2, tvOS 27.2 and visionOS 27.2 Release Candidates
16 hours ago
Samsung Slashes Prices on Frame TVs With Biggest Savings Yet for 2026 Models
Samsung Slashes Prices on Frame TVs With Biggest Savings Yet for 2026 Models
16 hours ago
RIP, MacBook Ultra
RIP, MacBook Ultra
17 hours ago
Apple Announcing New Products Next Week: 'Pro and Tell'
Apple Announcing New Products Next Week: 'Pro and Tell'
17 hours ago
GM Says Apple Wallet Car Keys Coming to These Vehicles
GM Says Apple Wallet Car Keys Coming to These Vehicles
20 hours ago
Amazon Offers $900 Off 2026 16-Inch MacBook Pro With M5 Max Chip
Amazon Offers $900 Off 2026 16-Inch MacBook Pro With M5 Max Chip
20 hours ago
Amazon Discounts New Mac Mini by Up to $149, Mac Studio by $200
Amazon Discounts New Mac Mini by Up to $149, Mac Studio by $200
2 days ago
Apple Expected to Release New Products on Next Four Fridays
Apple Expected to Release New Products on Next Four Fridays
2 days ago
Apple Reveals iPhone Duo's Battery Capacity
Apple Reveals iPhone Duo's Battery Capacity
2 days ago
Apple Planning 'HomeView Max' With 9-Inch, 360-Degree Screen
Apple Planning 'HomeView Max' With 9-Inch, 360-Degree Screen
2 days ago
Mark Gurman: Apple Made 'Major Mistake' With iPhone Duo Pre-Orders
Mark Gurman: Apple Made 'Major Mistake' With iPhone Duo Pre-Orders
2 days ago
Apple Retail Staff Told to Warn Against iPhone Duo Walk-In Purchases
Apple Retail Staff Told to Warn Against iPhone Duo Walk-In Purchases
3 days ago
Apple Hires Former Meta Lawyer to Oversee Global Litigation
Apple Hires Former Meta Lawyer to Oversee Global Litigation
3 days ago
Top Stories: Apple HomeView, New Apple TV and HomePod mini, and Sold-Out iPhone Duo
Top Stories: Apple HomeView, New Apple TV and HomePod mini, and Sold-Out iPhone Duo
3 days ago
Verizon Will Charge $10 a Month for iPhone Handoff
Verizon Will Charge $10 a Month for iPhone Handoff
3 days ago
Apple Calls iPhone Duo Demand 'Extraordinary' After Orders Slip to 2027
Apple Calls iPhone Duo Demand 'Extraordinary' After Orders Slip to 2027
3 days ago
New App Store Rules Target AI Deepfakes and Nudify Apps
New App Store Rules Target AI Deepfakes and Nudify Apps
3 days ago
Didn't Pre-Order Apple's HomeView? Here's How Long the Wait is Now
Didn't Pre-Order Apple's HomeView? Here's How Long the Wait is Now
4 days ago
Apple's $79 iPhone Duo Case Sticks On With Adhesive
Apple's $79 iPhone Duo Case Sticks On With Adhesive
4 days ago
Apple TV 4K and HomePod Mini Price Increases 'Much More Striking' Than New Features
Apple TV 4K and HomePod Mini Price Increases 'Much More Striking' Than New Features
4 days ago