Top 10 highest paid CEOs earn more in 5 minutes than you earn in weeks

It’s no secret that the top 10 highest paid CEOs earn a lot more than the average American worker, but the extent to which is the case may still surprise you. A new study found it takes weeks for the average worker to earn what they earn in only five minutes. Here are the top 10 highest paid CEOs and how much they earn in five minutes.

Get The Full Ray Dalio Series in PDF

Get the entire 10-part series on Ray Dalio in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or email to your colleagues

Q3 2020 hedge fund letters, conferences and more

Top 10 highest paid CEOs

10. Douglas Ingram, Sarepta Therapeutics

According to Gigacalculator, number 10 on the list of the top 10 highest paid CEOs is Douglas Ingram of Sarepta Therapeutics, who makes $1,801 every five minutes. To match that amount, the average American worker would have to work one week, four days and five hours.

9. Satya Nadella, Microsoft

In ninth place is Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who makes $1,982 in five minutes. The average worker would have to work two weeks and five hours to match that.

8. Sundar Pichai, Alphabet

Sundar Pichai earns $2,209 in five minutes, and it would take the average worker two weeks, one day and six hours to make that much.

7. Robert Swan, Intel

Number seven on the list of the top 10 highest paid CEOs is Robert Swan of Intel, who earns $2,539 in five minutes. It takes the average worker two weeks, three days and five hours to earn that.

6. Jonathan Gray, Blackstone

Jonathan Gray of Blackstone earns $2,760 in five minutes. It takes American workers two weeks, four days and six hours to match what he earns in five minutes.

5. Sumit Singh, Chewy

Chewy CEO Sumit Singh earns $2,773 in five minutes, and it would take the average American worker two weeks, four days and seven hours to earn that.

4. Joseph Ianniello, Viacom CBS

Joseph Ianniello of Viacom CBS earns $2,989 in five minutes. It takes American workers three weeks and four hours to earn that amount.

3. Tom Rutledge, Charter Communications

Believe it or not, Charter Communications CEO Tom Rutledge is high up on this list of the top 10 highest paid CEOs, earning $3,000 every five minutes. The average worker would have to work three weeks and one day to match what he earns in five minutes.

2. Tim Cook, Apple

Number two on this list isn't much of a surprise. Apple CEO Tim Cook earns $3,429 in five minutes. It takes the average American worker three weeks, three days and three hours to earn that much. Cook can purchase three iPhone 12s with hour much he earns in five minutes.

1. Elon Musk, Tesla

Finally, number one on this list of the top 10 highest paid CEOs is Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who earns an astonishing $15,263 in five minutes. It would take the average American worker 16 weeks, one day and four hours to earn that much. To put that into further context, Musk can buy 90 return flight tickets for New York to San Francisco with what he earns in five minutes.

Americans don't think CEOs should be paid that much

According to Gigacalculator, 84% of Americans believe it is unjustified for major CEOs to be paid millions of dollars every year, while 16% say it is justified. Seventy-three percent of Americans don't understand what CEOs do every day to warrant being paid millions of dollars a year.

Additionally, 65% of Americans want CEOs to be more transparent about what they do, and 88% feel the income disparity between CEOs and average workers is "too wide" and must "shrink" dramatically in the next five years.