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Who is Vaibhav Taneja? Tesla's Indian origin CFO who out-earned Satya Nadella and Sundar Pichai
With a staggering $139 million in total compensation for 2024, Tesla’s Vaibhav Taneja has not only become the company’s highest-paid executive but has also set a new benchmark in corporate earnings.
Most of Taneja’s blockbuster compensation didn't come from a giant paycheck — his base salary was a relatively modest $400,000 (about ₹3.33 crore)
At a time when Tesla is navigating headwinds in its home market, one of its top leaders is cruising at full speed.
Vaibhav Taneja, the Indian-origin Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Tesla, has captured headlines worldwide after emerging as the highest-earning senior executive in the company - and perhaps the most richly compensated Indian-origin leader in Silicon Valley to date, according to media reports.
In 2024, Taneja’s total earnings touched a record-breaking $139 million (approximately Rs 1,157 crore), surpassing the compensation of even stalwarts like Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Google's top brass.
While his base salary stood at $400,000 (around Rs 3.33 crore), the bulk of his income reportedly came from performance-based equity and stock options. Tesla's share performance - hovering around $250 when the equity was exercised - played a critical role in driving his earnings to historic levels.
His pay package dwarfed the $79.1 million earned by Nadella and the $10.73 million paid to Alphabet's top executives during the same period, the report added.
At 47, Taneja has had a distinguished journey. A graduate in Commerce from the University of Delhi and a Chartered Accountant by training, he began his career with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), where he worked for 17 years across India and the US.
In 2016, he joined SolarCity Corporation, which was soon acquired by Tesla. Starting as Assistant Corporate Controller, Taneja steadily climbed the ranks to become CFO.
Beyond his financial stewardship at Tesla, Taneja also serves as the Director of Tesla India Motors and Energy Private Limited.
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