15 execs who make more than their CEOs

• Title: Formerly CFO; Now SVP, Strategic Investments
• Company: Twitter
• CEO: Richard Costolo
• Pay difference: $24.5 million

Gupta can consider his hefty pay a reward for successfully helping steer Twitter as chief financial officer when it first went public on Wall Street and helping secure the company a $1 billion low-interest loan.

He actually took a huge risk to join Twitter, having left his job as treasurer at Zynga. But clearly, it paid off.

Keep in mind, though, he isn't getting tons of cash. Nearly all of his compensation -- $24.3 million -- came in the form of stock as a reward for his service.

Gupta didn't keep the CFO job, though. In July, the company replaced him with a Goldman Sachs executive -- one who also helped Twitter through its IPO. Gupta now is senior vice president, Strategic Investments. --J.P.

NEXT: Harvey M. Schwartz, $21.3 million