Apple spends $700,000 a year to keep Tim Cook safe

Apple spends nearly $700,000 (about £450,000) a year to protect CEO Tim Cook.

$4 pulled the figure from Apple's Schedule 14A report with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

In full, the report stated (emphasis our own): "This amount represents: (i) the Company's contributions to Mr. Cook's account under its 401(k) plan in the amount of $15,600; (ii) Company-paid term life insurance premiums in the amount of $2,520; (iii) vacation cash-out in the amount of $56,923; and (iv) security expenses in the amount of $699,133."

But that isn't actually that much considering how much other tech firms have spent on security for their senior execs in the past. According to a $4, which quotes a 2014 report by $4, Amazon spent the most looking after its CEO in 2013. Equilar tracks executive compensation, and says Amazon paid out $1.6 million that year on security for Jeff Bezos. During the same period, when Larry Ellison was still CEO of Oracle, the company spent $1.5 million on security for him.