Indian-origin executive and Tesla’s Chief Financial Officer, Vaibhav Taneja, reportedly earned an extraordinary $139 million in 2024, a figure that significantly surpassed the annual compensation of high-profile technology CEOs including Microsoft’s Satya Nadella and Alphabet’s Sundar Pichai. The Wall Street Journal first reported the staggering sum, which has drawn attention across the global business community, not least because it marks one of the highest pay packages for a finance chief in decades.
Taneja, 47, who assumed the role of Tesla’s CFO in 2023, received a base salary of $400,000, but the overwhelming majority of his compensation stemmed from stock options and equity awards granted following his promotion. These equity-linked incentives, awarded when Tesla shares were trading around $250, are due to vest over a four-year period. As of May 19 2025, Tesla’s stock was trading at approximately $342, despite the company having reported declining deliveries and shrinking profits in recent months.
In comparison, Satya Nadella earned $79.106 million in 2024 as part of his compensation package as Microsoft’s Chairman and CEO, according to the company’s 2025 proxy statement filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, by contrast, took home $10.73 million during the same period. Taneja’s 2024 compensation eclipsed both, and even outstripped the previous record set by Nikola Corporation’s CFO, who earned $86 million in 2020 before the company filed for bankruptcy in 2024.
Taneja’s massive payout came at a time of considerable turbulence for Tesla. The electric vehicle manufacturer, long regarded as an industry leader, has faced a marked slowdown in sales, profit margin pressure, and mounting global competition. Tesla also reported its steepest annual decline in sales since 2012. The controversy surrounding CEO Elon Musk has added to the challenges, with backlash linked to his actions during his time overseeing the Trump administration’s controversial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Taneja’s rising profile at Tesla comes in stark contrast to Musk’s current financial position at the company. The billionaire entrepreneur has continued to draw no salary from Tesla, while simultaneously appealing a Delaware court ruling that voided his $56 billion compensation plan—widely seen as the largest ever executive payout. Musk has defended the deal, arguing that it was justified given the company’s extraordinary growth under his leadership.
Who is Vaibhav Taneja?
Born in India, Vaibhav Taneja holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Delhi University (1999). He qualified as a Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India in 2000 and became a Certified Public Accountant in the United States in 2006. Taneja spent nearly 17 years at global audit firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), serving in both India and the US and rising to the position of Senior Manager in Assurance.
In March 2016, he transitioned to the renewable energy sector, joining SolarCity Corporation—a US-based solar panel developer—where he held various finance and accounting roles. After Tesla’s acquisition of SolarCity later that year, Taneja joined the electric vehicle giant in 2017 as Corporate Controller. His contributions were soon recognised, and he was appointed Chief Accounting Officer in March 2019. He served in that capacity until August 2023, when he was elevated to the role of Chief Financial Officer.
Taneja has also played a significant role in Tesla’s efforts to expand its footprint in India. In January 2021, he was appointed as Director of Tesla India Motors and Energy Private Limited, a position that underscores his importance in the company’s international growth strategy.
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