Being rich and famous comes with perks such as private jets, luxury homes and expensive vacations. But there’s another side to being in the spotlight that many people don’t think about – the need for constant security. And when you’re one of the world’s most well-known billionaires, that protection can come at an eye-popping cost.
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Regarding keeping billionaires safe, one name stands above the rest: Mark Zuckerberg. Fortune reported that in 2023, Meta (NASDAQ:META) spent $23.4 million to keep its CEO and founder safe. To put that in perspective, that’s almost 10 times more than what Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) paid to protect Elon Musk during the same year. If you thought Musk’s high-profile lifestyle came with a big security bill, Zuckerberg’s costs are on a whole different level.
Of the $23.4 million, $9.4 million was spent directly on security services for Zuckerberg and another $14 million was paid as an annual allowance to cover other security-related costs for him and his family. The company pays for everything from round-the-clock bodyguards to advanced home monitoring systems. Meta claims that since the CEO is so closely associated with the company, keeping him secure is crucial because if anything were to happen to Zuckerberg, it would directly impact Meta’s reputation and business.
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In comparison, Elon Musk’s security expenses seem modest. Tesla reportedly spent around $2.4 million in 2023 to keep Musk safe, plus an additional $500,000 for early 2024. That’s still a lot of money, but nowhere near Zuckerberg’s level. Musk’s controversial opinions and habit of being in the public eye certainly put a target on his back, but even he doesn’t require the kind of protective detail that Zuckerberg does.
