By Paul Kunert
Publication Date: 2026-03-18 12:26:00
Not all employees are created equally, just ask IBM boss Arvind Krishna, who received a financial package valued at $38 million in calendar 2025 – equivalent to the average collective pay of 765 Big Blue workers.
As the triple crown holder – Chairman, CEO and President – Krishna hit annual and longer term incentive targets, according to IBM’s proxy statement. As such, his award leaped compared to the $25.14 million he received in the prior year.
The $1.5 million salary was unchanged, stock awards went up to almost $24 million, options awards were $6.6 million, and non-equity incentive compensation was $5.25 million. The value of his pension went up $42,970 and all other compensation was $601,817.
2025 was seen as a successful year for IBM: revenue grew 8 percent to $67.5 billion, as it “shifted to higher growth areas, with over 75 percent of our business mix in Software and Consulting.”
