Elon Musk's $1-trillion trajectory began at UPenn: Which colleges did other top-paid CEOs of America go to?

Tesla shareholders didn’t blink. Over 75% voted to hand Elon Musk a pay package that could make him the world’s first trillionaire—not because they’re dazzled, but because they’re betting on the same thing his entire career has run on: Audacity backed by systems thinking. Elon Musk’s academic grounding at the University of Pennsylvania , where he pursued economics at Wharton alongside physics in the College of Arts & Sciences, is often overshadowed by his entrepreneurial image. Yet, this dual training — analytical reasoning from physics and strategic thinking from business — shaped the framework through which he has built Tesla, SpaceX and other ventures.

Musk’s dual degree at the University of Pennsylvania wasn’t ornamental. It taught him to treat companies like engineered problems: Define variables, control for inefficiency, scale the model. That’s the architecture behind Tesla, SpaceX, and other ventures.

In global boardrooms, education often plays a foundational role in shaping how leaders make decisions, interpret risk and navigate scale. While it does not determine success on its own, formal training in disciplines like economics, engineering, finance or law can provide structured ways of thinking that are essential in managing complex organisations, multi-market supply chains and fast-moving technological shifts. Executive compensation , especially at the top of the corporate ladder, is frequently tied to responsibilities that require large-scale resource planning, long-term forecasting and strategic clarity — areas where academic grounding can offer a useful starting framework.

This is why, when conversations turn to unusually high executive pay packages, the educational journeys of those leaders come back into view. Understanding where these CEOs studied, and what intellectual training they began with, helps map the different pathways through which leadership capabilities are developed — whether through formal business schools, interdisciplinary degrees, or hands-on professional learning. With Musk’s UPenn foundation now back in public conversation, it is a relevant moment to look at the educational backgrounds of other highly compensated U.S. corporate leaders.

According to the 2025 Equilar | Associated Press CEO Pay Study — which analyses CEO compensation reported in SEC proxy filings — these were the five highest-paid US CEOs in 2024. (Figures are grant-date values disclosed in proxies; realised pay can differ.) Let’s check which colleges they went to.

Patrick W. Smith: Axon Enterprise (approximately $164.5 million)Axon sits at the intersection of policing tech and cloud software. Smith’s education echoes that mix: a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and a master’s in international finance from the University of Leuven in Belgium. The international finance + management toolkit maps neatly onto Axon’s pivot from hardware devices to subscription evidence platforms and AI-assisted services.

H. Lawrence Culp Jr.: GE Aerospace (approximately $87.4 million)Culp’s reputation is built on operational turnarounds. He studied liberal arts at Washington College and earned an MBA at Harvard Business School, grounding him in management science, cost discipline and organisational design. Those foundations are visible in GE Aerospace’s simplification drive, balance-sheet repair and lean manufacturing focus.

Timothy D. Cook: Apple (approximately $74.6 million)Cook’s classroom was optimisation. A B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Auburn University trained him to minimise friction and build resilient systems; an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School added strategic breadth (he graduated as a Fuqua Scholar). The result is Apple’s famously tight supply chain and operations engine—proof that process literacy can be a creative advantage.

David L. Gitlin: Carrier Global (approximately $65.5 million)Gitlin blends law, business and tech markets. He completed his undergraduate degree at Cornell, a J.D. at the University of Connecticut, and an MBA at MIT Sloan. That interdisciplinary arc—regulatory fluency plus strategic finance—has guided Carrier’s repositioning in climate control, building systems and the emerging sustainability economy.

Theodore A. Sarandos: Netflix (approximately $61.9 million)Sarandos followed a non-elite route—Glendale Community College, then straight into video retail and programming decisions. His ascent shows another education: Industry immersion. Years of grassroots exposure to audience taste and distribution economics became Netflix’s global commissioning playbook. For students, it’s a reminder that domain mastery can come from rigorous practice as much as from prestigious classrooms.

Education as a thinking frameworkWhile the scale of these compensation packages may draw attention, the underlying thread is the thinking systems these leaders developed early on — through formal study, interdisciplinary training or sustained industry immersion. Education here is not a credential to display, but a scaffold for decision-making under complexity. For students aiming at leadership roles, the question is less where one studies and more how deeply one learns to reason, solve and adapt.

Check the complete list of top-paid CEOs here.