On October 12, Webb-site, a Hong Kong public data disclosure website founded by financial investor David Webb, released the 2024 compensation rankings for directors of Hong Kong-listed companies. Li Xiang, founder of Li Auto, became the highest-paid individual with total annual compensation of nearly HK$680 million.
Of Li Auto Chairman Li Xiang's total compensation of HK$679.8 million, only HK$3.004 million was in cash, including HK$2.834 million in salary and benefits and HK$170,000 in pension contributions. Share-based payments accounted for HK$676.8 million in accounting value, representing 99.5% of the total amount. This non-cash compensation represents the financial cost incurred by the company to retain and incentivize core founders, with its ultimate value entirely dependent on the company's future performance and stock price movements.
This year's top ten executive rankings were almost entirely dominated by founders and executives from new economy companies, demonstrating their strong wealth-creation capabilities.