Top paid CEOs in USA; Apple's Cook is number 1

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Tim Cook, CEO, Apple Inc

Apple chief executive Tim Cook topped the list of the best-paid CEOs in the US in 2011 thanks to stock options that put him more than $300 million ahead of his next rival, a Wall Street Journal survey said. Cook, who took charge of the iPhone and iPad maker in August 2011, received total compensation of $378 million. Of this, $900,000 was his annual salary and $900,000 was annual incentives. But he also received $376 million in restricted stock grants, based on Apple's stock price at the time.