Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, who is set to step down from his role at the end of this month, has one of the most eye-popping paychecks. He earns approximately Rs 1.4 lakh every 30 minutes.
The man behind Walmart's $905 billion empire has earned $1.5 million (approximately Rs 13.5 crore) as salary, $20.4 million (about Rs 184 crore) in stock awards and $4.4 million (about Rs 40 crore) in bonuses, totalling around $27.5 million (about Rs 248 crore), according to Fortune.
The pay contrast is staggering. When Doug McMillon started working at Walmart in 1984, he earned $6.50 per hour (approx Rs 585) unloading trailers in the company's warehouses. Today, as CEO, he earns approximately Rs 2.8 lakh per hour and Rs 4,700 per minute, which is about 481 times higher than his starting salary.
According to data from the Bureau of Labour Statistics, the average US worker earns approximately $62,088 per year (around Rs 56 lakh) and McMillon makes that amount in less than 20 hours as CEO.
The disparity becomes even more visible when looking at housing. The median US home price, which is $439,000 (around Rs 4 crore), is something most households spend decades saving for. McMillon, by contrast, could afford that in just under six working days.
While McMillon's compensation is extraordinary, he is not alone in drawing headlines for sky-high pay. Tesla CEO Elon Musk made waves with a performance-based pay package valued at up to $1 trillion.
In 2024, Apple CEO Tim Cook earned $74.6 million, which is approximately Rs 6,714 crore, up 18 percent from $63.2 million the previous year, according to the Economic Times.
At that rate, he makes what the average American worker earns in a year in just about seven hours. Cook could also afford the median US home in just over two days.
According to Fortune, Rick Smith, CEO of defense-tech firm Axon, earned a staggering $164.5 million (approx. Rs 14,805 crore) in 2024.
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