<ul><li>Rick Smith, CEO and cofounder of Axon Enterprise, topped the list of best-paid CEOs last year, taking home almost $165 million in compensation, largely in stock awards.</li><li>Axon stock has surged over 700% in the past five years, valuing the company at about $60 billion.</li><li>Smith's compensation exceeded that of CEOs from better-known S&P 500 companies like Starbucks and Apple, with Brian Niccol of Starbucks standing second on the list with stock awards worth about $90 million.</li><li>A study by Equilar and The Associated Press reported a 12.6% year-on-year rise in CEO pay in the S&P 500 in 2023.</li></ul>

This CEO collected almost $165 million last year — more than the boss of Apple or Blackstone

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