Vaibhav Taneja, Tesla’s India-born Chief Financial Officer (CFO), has shattered corporate pay records with a staggering compensation package of $139.5 million in 2024—making him the highest-paid CFO in the world.
Taneja’s total earnings not only surpassed his peers in the tech world, including Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella ($79.1 million) and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai ($10.7 million), but also set a new benchmark for CFO pay in corporate America—eclipsing the previous record of $86 million set by Nikola’s CFO in 2020, the Wall Street Journal first reported.
Taneja’s base annual salary is only $400,000. The rest comes from stock options and equity awards granted after his elevation to CFO. When the award was granted, Tesla’s shares hovered around $250. As of May 2025, shares had surged to $342, significantly enhancing the value of his equity stake.
READ: Protests against Musk’s Tesla erupt over DOGE (March 4, 2025)
After earning a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Delhi University in 1999, Taneja qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2000 and later as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the US in 2006. His career spanned nearly 17 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), where he held various roles in India and the U.S. before transitioning to SolarCity in 2016.
Following Tesla’s acquisition of SolarCity, Taneja joined the electric carmaker in 2017 as Assistant Corporate Controller. He rapidly rose through the ranks—becoming Corporate Controller in 2018, Chief Accounting Officer in 2019, and finally CFO in August 2023. He also serves as a director of Tesla India Motors and Energy Private Limited, contributing to Tesla’s push into the Indian market.
Unlike his high-profile boss Tesla CEO Elon Musk—who is currently facing legal battles over his own controversial $56 billion pay package—Taneja is known for his low-key demeanor and strong financial acumen.
Colleagues describe him as a methodical and strategic leader with deep experience in accounting, integration, and global financial operations. His success story serves as inspiration for professionals worldwide, especially the Indian diaspora.