Apple(US:AAPL) Xin Lang Cai Jing·2026-01-09 00:57Core Viewpoint - Apple's CEO Tim Cook's total compensation for 2025 is reported at $74.29 million, a slight decrease of 0.4% from 2024's $74.61 million, primarily due to changes in stock awards [1][3]. Compensation Structure - Tim Cook's compensation consists of four main components: a base salary of $3 million, stock awards of $57.53 million, a non-equity incentive plan compensation of $12 million, and other compensation of $1.76 million [2]. - The other compensation increased by $240,000 from 2024, mainly covering 401(k) retirement contributions, life insurance, security expenses, and private air travel [2]. Stock Awards and Performance - The decrease in total compensation is attributed to a $600,000 reduction in stock awards for 2025 compared to 2024, linked to annual stock price fluctuations and industry benchmark adjustments [3]. - Despite maintaining a high level of performance cash awards at $12 million, it was insufficient to offset the decline in stock awards [3]. Historical Compensation Trends - Over the past five years, Cook's compensation has shown a pattern of significant adjustment, with a notable drop to $64.21 million in 2023 due to a voluntary pay cut in response to shareholder concerns, marking a 35.4% decrease [3]. - Compensation rebounded to $74.61 million in 2024, followed by a slight decline in 2025, illustrating a trajectory of "high-level adjustment—bottoming out—stable fluctuations" [3]. Industry Comparison - In comparison to other tech executives, Cook's compensation ranks in the middle; for instance, Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella's compensation for fiscal 2025 reached $96.5 million, a 22% increase, while Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang earned $50 million, significantly lower than Cook's but showing a notable increase from previous levels [3]. - Tesla's CEO Elon Musk leads the pack with approximately $800 million in compensation, highlighting a substantial gap [3]. Company Performance and Market Position - Apple's target compensation for Cook remains at $59 million, consistent with 2024, with actual earnings exceeding this target due to the company's performance, maintaining a market capitalization of around $4 trillion [4]. - For the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025, Apple reported record revenue of $102.47 billion, an 8% increase from the previous year, and a net profit of $27.47 billion, up 86% year-over-year [5]. - However, revenue in the Greater China region declined by 3.6%, marking it as the only market with a revenue drop [5]. Management Stability - Apple has faced significant personnel changes, including the departure of key executives in AI and machine learning, which may impact management stability [5]. - On January 7, Apple's stock price fell by 0.77%, resulting in a market capitalization of $3.85 trillion, which was surpassed by Alphabet's $3.89 trillion, marking the first time since 2019 that Google has outpaced Apple [5].