Whenever we think of top executives, directors or chairmen of famous organizations we always wonder about their lucrative compensation packages. Though it is true that top level executives like CEO’s are generally paid way more than other employees in the firm. Still, there are some mavericks who take home a salary much lower than other employees.
Here is a list of 19 top executives around the world whose pay packages might surprise you.
1. Jeremy Stoppelman ($1)
The Yelp CEO has decreased his base salary over the years from $300,000 in 2012 to $37,501 in 2013 to $1 in 2014.
Yelp CEO Jerry Stoppelman has always been known to take home a lower salary than most of his employees. The Yelp CEO has decreased his base salary over the years from $300,000 in 2012 to $37,501 in 2013 to $1 in 2014.
2. Elon Musk ($37000)
Tesla Motors pays Musk only the minimum wage of $37000 per annum.
Even though you might not have heard of Elon Musk but you must have heard about Tesla Motors. Musk is the CEO of Tesla Motors. Tesla Motors pays Musk only the minimum wage of $37000 per annum. Musk also declines any bonus or option awards.
3. Anant J. Taulicar (20L per annum. Approx)
His annual compensation is little above 20 lakhs rupees per annum, Which is way less than the Industry standard.
You would find that the trend of CEOs taking $1 or minimum wage as salary is quite common in the west yet in India it is quite rare to find a CEO who draws a salary a significantly lower salary. Cummins India MD Anant J. Taulicar is one such guy. His annual compensation is little above 20 lakhs rupees per annum, Which is way less than the Industry standard.
4. Steve Jobs ($1)
Jobs set a new trend by taking home just $1 as his annual salary.
For our generation, Steve Jobs is not just a name, he is a brand in himself. Jobs was a trendsetter even when it came to drawing his annual salary. Jobs set a new trend by taking home just $1 as his annual salary when he was the CEO of Apple Inc.
5. Larry Ellison ($1)
Ellison takes home a salary of just $1.
Ellison serves as executive chairman and chief technology officer of Oracle Corporation. Though he has been named among the wealthiest men in the world. You would quite surprised to know that Ellison  takes home a salary of just $1. So how is he one of the richest men in the world? Well, the answer is simple, most of his worth comes from company’s stocks.
6. Narayana Murthy (1 Rupee)
Murthy insisted on taking a salary of just 1 rupee.
Narayana Murthy has also been known as a very humble man. Well, actually when the IT stalwart returned to Infosys as its CEO, Murthy took a huge pay cut and insisted on taking a salary of just 1 rupee. As according to him the company was his child and one does not take money to take care of his child.
7. Azim Premji ($6,73,921)
The Chairman of Wipro has been known to take home a salary lower than many of his top executives.
Azim Premji is one of the most popular faces of the Indian I.T. industry. Though Premji’s salary has varied from year to year but even being the Chairman of Wipro, Premji has been known to take home a salary lower than many of his top executives.
8. Ratan Tata (68L Rupees per annum)
Tata receives a remuneration which is lower than many other employees.
It is almost impossible for you to not to have heard his name. The Chairman emeritus of Tata Sons receives a remuneration which is lower than many of its employees and interestingly unlike many of the other business tycoons in the list, Tata does not receive any hefty sum from Tata’s stocks.
9. Richard Hayne ($1)
His base salary is set at $1 a year.
For those of you who have not heard of him, Richard Hayne is the president and CEO of the famous company Urban Outfitters. In 2009, requested that his base salary be set at $1 a year. A major portion of his net worth actually comes more as a performance bonus than annual salary.
10. Steven Kean ($1)
He has continued the tradition of taking $1 as salary at Kinder.
Kinder is one of the few top companies which has maintained its unique tradition of paying its CEO $1 as salary. When Steven Kean took over as the CEO, he too continued the tradition  of taking $1 salary.
11. Richard Fairbank ($0)
Capital One’s founder and CEO hasn’t received a salary for almost 20 years now.
For those of you who follow the Premier League, Capital One is one name you all would quite familiar with. Well, you would be quite shocked to know that  Capital One’s founder and CEO hasn’t received a salary for almost 20 years now. Fairbanks isn’t struggling to get by, though. He receives a hefty amount from the company’s stocks.
12. Edward Lampert ($1)
Edward Lampert also joins the list of people who take a salary of $1.
Sears‘ CEO Edward Lampert also joins the list of people who take a salary of $1. You would be quite surprised to know that he also continues to forgo bonuses, non-equity incentive plans, and most other compensation. So, how does he feeds himself? Well, you guessed it right, stocks.
13. John Mackey ($1)
Mackey not only receives a salary of just $1 but has also decided to forgo any bonus and stock option awards and other compensation.
Whole Foods Market Inc. is one of the most popular American supermarket chain which exclusively sells only food items. The Whole Foods co-CEO also takes home a salary of just $1. Unlike many others, Mackey has also decided to forgo any bonus and stock option awards and other compensation.
14. David Filo ($1)
Yahoo co-founder David Filo is another person who is known to receive a $1 salary for years.
Yahoo is a name you all must be familiar with. Yahoo co-founder David Filo is another person who is known to receive a $1 salary for years. Well, that’s definitely not a salary that would make you go Yahoo.!!
15. Mark Zuckerberg ($1)
Facebook CEO himself pockets just $1 as his salary.
For most of us, Zuckerberg is not just an entrepreneur but a youth icon. Interestingly, though Facebook is popular among the youth for paying hefty paychecks to its employees but the Facebook CEO himself pockets just $1 as his salary.
16. Jack Dorsey ($0)
Twitter CEO did not receive any salary for 2015.
Though there might be quite a few differences between Twitter and Facebook but there is one striking similarity. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, much like Zuckerberg, Dorsey too doesn’t take any compensation for his role. Twitter CEO did not receive any salary for 2015.
17. Larry Page and Sergey Brin ($1)
Brin and Page have declined to receive market-competitive salaries and take home just $1 as their salary.
You have to admit that it’s actually difficult to spend your day without Google. Google Inc. is currently one of the largest companies in the world. But quite interestingly Google co-founders Brin and Page have declined to receive market-competitive salaries and take home just $1 as their salary.
18. Carlos Slim ($288,000)
Slim draws an annual salary of just $288,000.
The name of Carlos Slim will feature on any top 5 list of richest men in the world. It is said that it is almost impossible for you  to spend one day in Mexico without putting money into Slim’s pocket. Though he might be one of the richest men in the world, Slim still believes in simple living and draws an annual salary of just USD 288,000.00. That is way low for a man of his stature.
19. Warren Buffet($100,000)
The Berkshire Hathway man draws a salary of just $100,000 per annum.
You must be aware of the name Warren Buffet. H. Warren Buffet is also someone who maintains a very low profile. The Berkshire Hathway man draws a salary of just USD 100,000.00 per annum. For the past 25 years, his salary has remained the same.
So, not always does a CEO have a lucrative pay package. Sometimes they might receive a salary way less than you and I.
