Meet Vaibhav Taneja, Elon Musk-led Tesla’s Indian-origin CFO, who earns more than Sundar Pichai & Satya Nadella

Since becoming a member of Tesla in 2017, Vaibhav Taneja rose by the ranks.

Vaibhav Taneja, the chief monetary officer of Elon Musk-led Tesla, is within the information. The 47-year previous Indian origin govt has garnered vital consideration after his compensation particulars have been revealed on Tuesday.Taneja acquired $139 million in 2024, which notably exceeds the pay of high tech leaders equivalent to Microsoft’sSatya Nadella and Google’s Sundar Pichai!Sundar Pichai acquired a complete compensation of $10.73 million from Alphabet, Google’s mum or dad organisation, while Microsoft gave Satya Nadella $79.1 million in 2024.Experts have famous that the substantial sum of $139 million encompasses numerous types of compensation past direct wage. Taneja’s fundamental wage at Tesla was $400,000 (Rs 3.33 crore). The the rest consisted of inventory choices and fairness linked to efficiency metrics. When the fairness advantages have been realised, Tesla’s share worth stood at $250.Also Read | Tesla India entry: Why Donald Trump has mentioned it will be ‘very unfair’ for Elon Musk’s Tesla to arrange a manufacturing facility in India“For the year 2024, this headline figure included a cash remuneration of only $303,864,” mentioned Dhruv Janssen-Sanghavi, worldwide taxation knowledgeable and founding father of Janssen-Sanghavi & Associates. “The other elements included an equity award and equity options. The value of these stocks on the day on which he acquires them over and above the discounted price he must pay for them would also count as his remuneration,” he told ET.

Who is Vaibhav Taneja?

Vaibhav Taneja completed his Bachelor of Commerce from Delhi University in 1999, followed by chartered accountancy in 2000 and certified public accountancy in 2006. Following the acquisition of SolarCity by Musk in 2016, Taneja who worked in the former company transitioned to Tesla, beginning as an assistant corporate controller before advancing to his present position. Previously, he had 17 years of experience at PwC, working across India and the US offices.Since joining Tesla in 2017, Vaibhav Taneja rose through the ranks. He became chief accounting officer by 2019, and in 2023, assumed the role of chief financial officer, overseeing Tesla’s worldwide financial operations.

About Vaibhav Taneja

His tenure as CFO spans more than two years, during which he has significantly contributed to Tesla’s India-focused initiatives. In January 2021, he was designated as a director for Tesla India Motors and Energy Pvt. Ltd, the organisation’s Indian subsidiary.Following Zach Kirkhorn’s resignation, Taneja stepped into the CFO position. According to an industry expert, Taneja was clearly the most suitable candidate for the role, particularly given Tesla’s preference for internal promotions over external recruitment.Also Read | ‘Elon Musk doing amazing work, but…’: Why Sajjan Jindal believes Tesla received’t discover it simple in IndiaNotably, Taneja isn’t the first person of Indian origin to serve as Tesla’s CFO. Deepak Ahuja held this position from 2017 to 2019, before transitioning to Verily Life Sciences. Currently, he serves as the CFO at Zipline, an American drone delivery company.“I labored with Vaibhav when he was the chief accounting officer, which was his final position earlier than being elevated because the CFO,” said Manuj Khurana, vice president at Ather Energy, who worked at Tesla from 2020-22. “He was at all times very calm, collected and grounded and had completely no airs. His method was at all times very sensible and that’s one thing that’s extraordinarily obligatory in a spot like Tesla the place issues can change in a single day.His rise could be very a lot of a perform of his skill in addition to Tesla’s meritocratic tradition.”Taneja’s remarkable achievements have led to discussions about Indian-origin executives’ potential to excel beyond technology sectors in leading organisations, without necessarily possessing engineering qualifications, unlike the typical pattern observed with prominent leaders such as Pichai and Nadella.