Silicon Valley is a hub for some of the richest individuals to have ever walked this earth. Naturally, these tech moguls require round the clock protection, and they spend quite a lot on their security.
Rough Estimate
Although a large chunk of the fortune spent on security comes from the companies they run, these individuals can comfortably finance their own security detail, if it comes to that.
While most of the CEO spendings are on public records, especially if they run a public company, the amounts mentioned in this article are merely rough estimates and do not paint the most accurate picture when it comes to protecting these executives.
Nevertheless, it’s still enough to give our readers a general idea of how strict security protocol is with some of the richest people on earth. So let’s dive in, shall we?
In 2016, it was revealed that Twitter paid Jack Dorsey (the CEO) a total of $68, 506 for his protective detail and residential security. The down to earth CEO, however, has made it a habit to decline all forms of compensation for his efforts at the company. This practice saw his 2018 salary sit at a meager $1.40.
Eric Schmidt’s tenure as Google’s chairman drew to a close last year. Before he stepped down, the company had forked out $296,353 for his personal security the previous year.
Apple spent a bit more for its CEO, revealing that the company forked over $310,000 to keep Tim Cook safe last year. Many deemed this as a humble amount on the company’s part, seeing as Apple has severally been named the most valuable company in the world.
Google has been spending more and more on its CEO’s protection. In 2018, the company spent $1.2 million seeing to Sundar Pichai’s protection. The amount was almost double the $680,000 given to him in 2017, which had also been doubled from the previous year.
This time around, the company saw it best to increase the expenditure on its CEO’s security detail after three employees fell victim to an active shooter at the San Bruno YouTube campus in early 2018. Luckily, the three were only injured.
Bezos is a bit modest
Going by public records, the richest man alive doesn’t spend as much on security as you would think. But that’s not to say that he doesn’t fork out much more from his deep pockets.
A spokesperson from Amazon indeed confirmed that their CEO pays for his security himself, in addition to what the company provides.
Amazon spends $1.6 million on its CEO’s security team, an amount that has remained constant since 2012. In that same period of time, the man has earned over $100 billion, no wonder he doesn’t need his company’s money. Still, the company saw to the installation of bulletproof panels in Jeff’s office, a venture that cost $180,000.
Remember that leaked texts scandal Bezos was involved in some time back? His head of security revealed that Amazon wrote him a blank check to investigate the leaks’ source, instructing him to spend as much as he required.
Moving on, Oracle Corporation’s CTO Larry Ellison receives a reported $1.6 million for his annual protection at his primary residence from the company. However, the exact residence has never been confirmed, although reports that it is his Woodside, California estate.
Thanks to Uber’s IPO, we got to know that the company spends $2 million for its CEO’s (Dara Khosrowshahi) security.
Mark Zuckerberg’s $20 million, however, beats them all. Given the disastrous year Facebook has had, the CEO’s security budget is understandable.