Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 03, 2025

The CEO of a company you've probably never heard of earned $211 million in compensation last year - and the title of highest-paid chief executive, according to a new ranking

The CEO of a company you've probably never heard of earned $211 million in compensation last year - and the title of highest-paid chief executive, according to a new ranking

Paycom founder and CEO Chad Richison makes about $20 million a year, and will have to hit aggressive performance goals to get his bonus compensation.
Jeff Bezos may be the world's wealthiest man, but his $1.7 million pay package from Amazon was nowhere close to making the list of the highest compensated CEOs in 2020.

The top spot on the New York Times' list of industry titans, which includes the likes of GE,Netflix, and JPMorgan Chase, goes to a cloud-based HR management software provider based in Oklahoma City called Paycom.

CEO Chad Richison's compensation package topped out at $211 million in 2020.

Richison founded Paycom in 1998, pioneering the employee self-service approach to HR management, which paved the way for things like enrolling in benefits or checking your pay stub from your phone.

The company now serves 31,000 clients with roughly 5 million individual profiles, mostly among mid-sized businesses with up to 5,000 employees.

As it turns out, Richison won't see the vast majority of this year's compensation package for several more years, as the stock-based award is part of a long-term incentive plan detailed in the the company's 2021 proxy statement.

In fact, Richison's actual pay for 2020 will come out more in the range of $20 million if Paycom's share price doesn't hit certain targets.

That's still a pretty high number, but a look at the company's recent performance would suggest Richison is doing a good job as CEO. The company's stock has outperformed S&P's index of software companies by a shattering margin, with 26% annual returns since 2017.

Paycom seems to buck the narrative of wealthy CEOs being rewarded despite business being battered by the pandemic, with several awards for management and worker satisfaction, including one from Glassdoor for leadership during the COVID-19 crisis.

With this compensation package, the board is showing it wants Richison to keep it up.

In order for Richison to receive the full long-term incentive worth about $175 million, Paycom's stock would have to climb from its current $400 value to $1,000 over the next six years and $1,750 over the next ten.

Richison's award structure "requires significant value creation for them before he can realize any value from the grant," Jason Clark, chair of Paycom's compensation committee, said in a statement to Insider.

"This grant further aligns our CEO's total compensation with the Company's sustained growth over the next decade and provides a strong incentive to continue building the Company's value," he added.

Richison will not be eligible for further equity grants until 2026.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Dutch government falls as far-right leader Wilders quits coalition
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
×