Top 5 Highest-Paid Apple Executives

Even more diverse than Apple’s deep and complex history is its work environment, which consists of over 116,000 full-time employees around the globe, according to 2016 estimates. Whether managerial, custodial, services-oriented or otherwise, each of these people contributed to Apple’s overall goal of innovation and growth in some way. It's a burdensome task, to be sure, but interestingly enough while so many work behind the scenes at Apple to keep the wheels turning, the actual majority of the work is leveraged by just a few top executives in their respective roles. Use the right arrow to see Apple’s top 5 most influential, highest-earning executives currently on the roster.
5 Jonathan Ive, Chief Design Officer
What would Apple be today if it weren't for the steady hands and relentless creativity of the company's top design boss? Jony Ive joined Apple back in 1992, and over the years, Ive has played an instrumental role in designing some of Apple’s most legendary products, including the iPhone, iPad, several generations of Mac computers, the Apple Watch, and much more. So, what did the mind behind the iPhone make in 2016? The world may never actually know, according to Fortune, who claims that Ive is exempt from SEC rules that would otherwise disclose his compensation because he's "not what the commission calls a ‘Section 16’ employee." Of course, we can only assume that means “a lot," right? — especially with Ive's posh position living on San Francisco’s infamous “Billionaire’s Row.”
4 Angela Ahrendts, SVP, Retail
Ahrendts is another influential newcomer to the Apple team, and was hired on by Tim Cook in 2014 to oversee Apple’s retail store presence after the company's previous retail boss, Ron Johnson, departed Apple to take over as CEO of JC Penney the year prior. As the head of Apple’s estimated 489 worldwide retail outlets, Ahrendts reports primarily to Cook about Apple’s strategy with real estate, operations of online and retail storefronts, and general developmental issues as they arise. Prior to her role at Apple, Ahrendts served as the CEO of London-based fashion house, Burberry, as well as the President and Vice President of Donna Karan International and Liz Claiborne, Inc., respectively. Her salary and compensation was the highest at Apple in 2016, clocking in at an estimated $25.8 million in cash and stock, according to recode.
3 Luca Maestri, CFO
As CFO of Apple, Luca Maestri is responsible for managing all financial accounting, business support, treasury, investor relations, and all internal tax and audit functions at Apple worldwide. Prior to joining Apple’s team back in 2013 as Senior Vice President of Corporate Finance, Maestri spent over 25 years building and leading teams at some of the world’s largest companies, including his former role as CFO at Xerox. Maestri, who earned his Master of Science in Management from Boston University, also served for years as a leading executive at General Motors. His annual compensation for 2016 is estimated at $22.8 million, according to Salary.com, which included roughly $2.7 million in cash/non-equities and an additional $19+ million in stock options.
2 Craig Federighi, SVP, Software Engineering
Whether it’s iOS, macOS, tvOS or watchOS, Apple’s major software titles have gained a major name for themselves in the last few years — an effort driven largely in part by Apple’s Senior VP of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi, who in his role oversees the development of iOS, macOS, and all of Apple’s other burgeoning software platforms. Federighi previously held roles working alongside Steve Jobs on the NeXT operating system, which was purchased from Apple and re-branded back in 1998. Federighi’s compensation for the 2016 year was hefty, as this was the year Federighi was eligible to trade in his last batch of 25,000 restricted Apple Stock shares (RSUs), valued at an estimated $50 million.
1 Tim Cook, Chief Executive Officer
Prior to taking over at the helm of Apple after the passing of Steve Jobs, Cook spent years as the company’s Chief Operating Officer, where he was responsible for managing everything from Apple’s worldwide sales and operations, to providing sales support and services to customers on a global stage. Cook, who earned his Master’s in Business Administration from Duke University, also held executive roles at IBM and Compaq Computers before joining Apple. His salary and compensation for 2016 was estimated at $8.7 million down from roughly $10.3 million in 2015. In addition "Cook's reported compensation doesn't include 560,000 restricted stock units Apple gave him when he ascended to the CEO role in 2011 and which were earmarked for 2015. Those units were worth more than $64 million at the end of 2015," according to Fortune. Most recently, Tim Cook cashed in on $89.2 million worth of Apple stock.