by Michael Gauthier
- A new study has found GM CEO Mary Barra received the most compensation for an automotive executive.
- She reportedly made $29.8 million, which put her ahead of Ford’s Jim Farley and Rivian’s RJ Scaringe.
- All three trailed Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang, who reportedly earned $197.6 million last year.
While it’s good to be king, being CEO isn’t too shabby either. That’s clear from a new analysis of executive compensation from automotive-related companies.
Conducted by Automotive News and Equilar, the study revealed the highest paid executive at an automaker was GM’s Mary Barra. She reportedly earned $29,818,313, which was up 12.2% from last year.
More: Mary Barra Was Paid 310 Times More Than The Average GM Worker
Barra was closely followed by Ford CEO Jim Farley, who reportedly banked $27,608,563. That was an increase of 97.1% from 2023 and the jump is being credited to $23,392,143 in “stock award gains.”
Rounding out the podium is Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe, whose compensation package reportedly totaled $13,955,227. That was up 974.1% from 2023, when he earned a modest $1,299,280.
Those are impressive totals, but they pale in comparison to compensation offered by tech firms. Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang reportedly banked a whopping $197,604,703. That’s a staggering figure, but it’s actually down significantly from the $288,832,071 in compensation he earned in 2023.
Huang was followed by Uber’s Dara Khosrowshahi, who raked in $114,910,689. That was up from $12,883,374 and the increase is largely due to stock option gains.
Interestingly, the third overall spot went to Eaton’s Craig Arnold. The recently departed executive took home $59,907,764 in 2024.
Lastly, Snap-on’s Nicholas Pinchuk made $34,446,115. That probably shouldn’t be too surprising considering their toolboxes can cost thousands of dollars.
The study looked at 61 companies and found the median compensation for automotive CEOs climbed 5% to $17,290,270. Supplier CEOs, on the other hand, saw a 13% drop to $11,234,560.
That being said, there’s a big caveat as Tesla CEO Elon Musk reportedly received nothing last year. However, he got a roughly $29 billion payday this August.
Mary Barra