Tim Cook’s $74M Payday: Why Apple’s C-Suite Isn’t Fretting Its Grocery Bill
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Apple made its annual proxy filing this week, which among other things provides details about how much it paid its most senior executives in 2025. You can rest easy, as Tim Cook and the rest of the gang in Apple’s C-suite won’t be applying for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits or getting in line at the soup kitchen any time soon.
Apple says company CEO Tim Cook’s total compensation was down slightly from the previous year; he only earned a total of $74,294,811 in 2025.
Here’s how Cook’s earnings breakdown for 2025:
- Salary: $3,000,000
- Stock awards: $57,535,293
- Non-equity incentive plan compensation: $12,000,000
- All other compensation: $1,759,518
I think we’d all be willing to settle for Cook’s “all other compensation” earnings. But what exactly falls into that category? Let’s take a look. This amount represents:
- Apple’s contributions to Cook’s 401(k) plan: $21,000
- Cook’s term life insurance premiums paid by Apple: $2,964
- Vacation cash-out: $57,692. This alone is roughly double the median US individual income.
- Security expenses: $887,870. This amount represents the incremental cost for personal security services provided to Cook by Apple, determined by calculating the direct costs and a percentage of fixed costs incurred by the Cupertino company to provide Cook’s personal security services. That may sound a lot, but the CEO has needed protection from some pretty creepy “fans” over the years.
- Personal air travel expenses: $789,991. That amount reflects the incremental cost to Apple for Cook’s personal use of private aircraft based on hourly flight charges and other variable costs, including fuel charges, departure fees, and landing fees. It’s worth mentioning that this isn’t just Cook flying high; the Apple Board requires its CEO to use private aircraft for all of his travel, both business and personal, due to efficiency and security reasons.
As for the rest of Apple’s executive team, they won’t be pleading poverty any time soon either. Their earnings are as follows:Executive (Role) Base Salary Incentive Pay* All Other Total Kate Adams (General Counsel) $1,000,000 $26,009,766 $22,482 $27,032,248 Deirdre O’Brien (SVP, Retail) $1,000,000 $26,009,766 $37,867 $27,047,633 Sabih Khan (COO) $1,000,000 $26,009,766 $21,905 $27,031,671 Kevan Parekh (CFO) $891,519 $21,553,452 $22,338 $22,467,309 Luca Maestri (Former CFO) $819,231 $14,641,493 $22,204 $15,482,928
*Includes Stock Awards and Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation.
While all of the executives effectively share the same compensation packages, the numbers for Kevan Parekh and Luca Maestri are lower as they reflect the transition year for Apple’s chief financial officer. We’ll likely see Parekh matching his colleagues when Apple files its 2026 report next year, as Maestri did for his last full year of service in 2024.
Apple will hold its 2026 shareholders meeting on Tuesday, February 24, at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time, according to an SEC filing released yesterday, which can be read in full here.
Boardroom Shuffling and the Succession Safety Net
Beyond the paychecks, the filing also reveals some interesting shuffling and rule-bending within Apple’s Board of Directors. Chairman Art Levinson (age 75) and board member Ron Sugar (age 77) are both up for re-election to new one-year terms, despite company guidelines stating that directors may generally not stand for re-election once they have reached the age of 75. However, Apple explained why it believes there should be an exception this time around:
Over the past four years, the Board has added three new members, representing over one-third of its membership, and two other, long-serving members retired. In the context of this year’s Annual Meeting nominations, the Board determined that it would be in the best interests of Apple and its shareholders to ask Art Levinson, the Chair of the Board, and Ron Sugar, the Chair of the Audit Committee, to stand for re-election, and to waive for each of them its guideline under which directors generally may not stand for re-election after attaining age 75. In making this determination, the Board considered several factors, including the significant experience and expertise that each of Dr. Levinson and Dr. Sugar brings to the Board, their deep insight into the Company’s business and operations, and their individual contributions as highly engaged members of the Board. The Board also considered the benefits of continuity among the Board’s leadership positions.
As you can probably surmise by Ron Sugar’s age, this isn’t the first time Apple has made such an exception. Al Gore and James Bell both retired from Apple’s Board of Directors in 2024 after hitting age 75, with Apple making the case then that it was necessary to keep Sugar on the Board for what Tim Cook referred to as his “deep insights” and expertise in navigating complex global supply chains and government regulations.
While some might see Levinson’s return as throwing more cold water on rumors of Tim Cook’s impending retirement, it doesn’t automatically rule it out. If anything, it’s just as likely to be a strategic safety net for what could become Apple’s biggest executive shuffle in 15 years. Levinson is merely standing for re-election as a member of Apple’s Board of Directors; like most companies, the Chairman is appointed by the Board itself. Tim Cook is already a fully-elected member of that Board, so he can be appointed Chairman at any time — even the day after the shareholders’ meeting. However, having Levinson in place provides the continuity needed for a smooth transition — even if that’s just to keep the big chair warm until Cook is ready to move from the CEO’s office to the head of the Board table himself.
Apple shareholders of record as of January 2, 2026, who wish to attend, vote, and submit questions during the annual meeting can visit the virtual meeting website and enter a control number included in the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials provided to shareholders. Online access will be open approximately 15 minutes before the start of the meeting.
