Technology's highest paid CEO currently is also America's highest paid CEO, namely Larry Ellison of Oracle - who with a fiscal 2008 pay package of $84.6M is the top earner at any of the Standard & Poor's 500 companies. Noting that annual pay totals are "based on salary, bonuses, incentives and perks," the Associated Press reports that Ellison's pay in 2008 was 38% higher than the $61.2M pay package he received in 2007.

Bloomberg, which reports the figure as only $72M, notes that even this number is "12 times bigger than the median pay of CEOs in the technology industry."

As Bloomberg drily notes, "The pay for Ellison, 64, doesn't include the $544 million he made last year exercising stock-option grants."

Meantime Reuters reported yesterday how Oracle's Co-President, Safra Catz, is stepping aside from her position as the Oracle's CFO. The company is appointing Jeff Epstein, 52, to the post of CFO and executive vice president, effective in September - reporting to Catz.