Qualcomm may not be a household name like Apple, but the telecom giant is everywhere you look: It makes the chipsets for loads of mobile devices, including those made by Samsung, HTC, Nokia and Apple itself.
The company reported a blowout quarter last month, and it rewarded shareholders with $362 million in cash dividends.
All of that goodwill has helped Jacobs, who took the helm at Qualcomm in 2005. His approval rating jumped 7 percentage points over last year, to 95%.
You don't have to work at Oracle or Apple to be among the top-paid executives in the technology industry, but it helps.
