As the heads of major tech companies manage revenues comparable to the GDP of small nations, their personal security has become a significant expense. In July 2024, following an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed he faced two separate threats. Both assailants were arrested near Tesla's headquarters in Texas, armed and ready.
Among Big Tech firms, Meta has spent the most on security, allocating $23 million to protect CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who is described as 'synonymous with the company' in SEC filings. The company stated that negative perceptions associated with the brand could adversely affect Zuckerberg.
Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has spent nearly $7 million in 2023 to ensure the safety of CEO Sundar Pichai. Tesla's expenditures for Musk's security reached $2.4 million, a figure expected to rise significantly in 2024 due to recent assassination attempts and Musk's appointment in Trump’s new cabinet.
Additionally, Jensen Huang, a prominent figure in the AI revolution, has cost Nvidia around $2 million in personal security expenses. Apple CEO Tim Cook, in contrast, incurred only about $800,000 in security costs in 2023.