Mark Zuckerberg – CEO and founder of Meta – is being protected at a level unprecedented in the tech world, the report said.

Although his assets are far less than Elon Musk's, the cost of protecting this billionaire is more than 50 times that of the Tesla boss, higher than the combined cost of 6 famous technology CEOs - Photo 1.

According to a new analysis by the Financial Times (FT), the security budget for the 10 largest global tech CEOs exceeded $45 million in 2024. Of which, the cost for Mark Zuckerberg was the largest, accounting for more than $27 million. In 2023, this figure was $24 million.

This figure far exceeds its industry peers. Accordingly, Nvidia spent $3.5 million on security for CEO Jensen Huang (up from $2.2 million), Amazon spent $1.1 million on CEO Andy Jassy and $1.6 million on Jeff Bezos. Apple spent only $1.4 million on Tim Cook (down from $2.4 million last year). Alphabet spent $6.8 million on Sundar Pichai. Tesla spent $500,000 on Elon Musk, although experts say the actual cost is much higher because Musk owns his own security company.

Notably, the combined security costs for the CEOs of Apple, Nvidia, Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, and Palo Alto Networks were still 26% lower than Meta’s spending on Zuckerberg alone.

According to the Forbes billionaire list, as of August 17, the net worth of Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg reached 414 billion USD and 270 billion USD respectively.

Although his assets are far less than Elon Musk's, the cost of protecting this billionaire is more than 50 times that of the Tesla boss, higher than the combined cost of 6 famous technology CEOs - Photo 2.

Meta’s uniqueness lies in the fact that its security program covers CEO Zuckerberg’s home, family, and movements. With majority control and an image associated with Meta, Zuckerberg has become one of the most controversial CEOs in American society.

The tech industry is largely served by private companies, often founded by former FBI agents or military personnel, that offer services beyond physical protection to include intelligence, cybersecurity, bulletproof vehicles, counter-surveillance, assassination and kidnapping prevention, and even digital threats like deepfakes.

Other CEOs have also stepped up security measures. Palantir’s Alex Karp maintains a 24/7 security team. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s security has been tightened as the chip giant’s global profile has grown.

In addition, after the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson late last year, many corporations have changed their security policies, such as limiting the public appearance of their leaders, investing heavily in home security systems, tightening travel regulations, and even requiring CEOs to only use the company’s private jets.