Tech Giants Spend Over $45mn Protecting CEOs Amid Rising Threats

Large tech groups including Meta, Alphabet, Nvidia, Amazon and Palantir are sharply increasing spending on personal protection as executives face rising hostility and a bigger role in US politics, according to Financial Times,

The FT found security budgets for 10 major tech CEOs exceeded $45mn in 2024, with several firms raising spending by more than 10% year on year.

Meta leads the pack: it spent $27mn last year securing Mark Zuckerberg and his family, far more than peers because it covers relatives as well as him. Nvidia spent $3.5mn protecting Jensen Huang, up from $2.2mn. Amazon has consistently funded Jeff Bezos’s protection at $1.6mn annually and spent $1.1mn last year on CEO Andy Jassy. Tesla reported only $500,000 in 2024 for Elon Musk but acknowledged this was a fraction of the real cost, with Musk sometimes traveling with 20 guards and even founding his own firm, Foundation Security.

Financial Times writes that spending has surged after high-profile killings, including the December 2024 shooting of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. “The first half of this year was as busy for us than all of 2024,” said Joe LaSorsa of LaSorsa Security, citing a “remarkable increase” in attacks on executives’ homes.

Security experts warn of a shift. “Previously, we’d see executives targeted by someone with a personal grievance… but the direction of violence towards the top of company leadership has changed,” said Lianne Kennedy-Boudali of Control Risks. James Hamilton of Hamilton Security added: “I’ve never seen the threat or the concern higher than it is today.”

Palantir’s Alex Karp, whose fortune jumped by almost $7bn, has faced death threats linked to the firm’s military contracts and now moves with a 24/7 detail. Nvidia’s Huang, worth more than $153bn, is mobbed by fans at public events. Musk said: “We actually did have two homicidal maniacs in the last roughly seven months come to aspirationally try to kill me.”

Beyond tech, JPMorgan, Fox, Lockheed Martin, and healthcare companies have also expanded protection. CVS and Anthem even removed executives’ photos from websites.

Security firms are increasingly asked to guard against kidnapping, stalking, home invasions and AI-driven fraud, not just assassination attempts. “People are fixating on the leader of a company as the representation of all that is wrong with the world,” Hamilton warned.

Crypto leaders have also become early adopters of private security. Coinbase spent $6.2mn protecting CEO Brian Armstrong in 2024, while Blockdaemon founder Konstantin Richter noted: “Every time the market pumps things get weird… Keeping a low profile is key.”