Despite emerging as the leader in revenue and profit for FY26, India's largest software exporter, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), was at the bottom of the pack for chief executive pay among all top Indian IT firms.

The IT giant paid its chief executive less than a host of rivals, despite remaining by far the biggest technology services firm in India, as disclosed by top software firms.

The discrepancy has been noticed as TCS continues to surpass a good chunk of its competitors when considering scale, profitability, and market dominance.

This is perhaps also a sign that pay in India's technology space doesn't always correlate directly to top-line and bottom-line results.

Some mid-cap and smaller-revenue firm CEOs took home significantly higher pay packages, despite their relatively lower performance relative to TCS. "The CEO's pay might be linked to many variables, such as stocks, performance-linked compensation, transitions, and specific company policies.

Hence, the highest-paid CEO might not be leading the largest and the most profitable company," say experts. TCS is a company known for its disciplined approach, having focused on stable growth for years, and it continues to hold a dominant presence in the sector and contributes significantly to the Tata group.