If you’ve ever seen a surgical robot—one of those multi-armed machines that looks like it belongs on a space station—you’ve seen Gary Guthart’s life work. Most people don't know the name, but they know the Da Vinci system. Gary Guthart is the guy who took a niche piece of tech and turned it into a global standard for how we operate on humans.
As of January 2026, Gary Guthart’s net worth is estimated to be approximately $680 million.
Most of that money isn't just sitting in a checking account, obviously. It’s tied up in decades of stock ownership at Intuitive Surgical (ISRG). To understand why he's worth nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars, you have to look at how he moved from a control systems analyst in 1996 to the Executive Chair today.
Breaking Down the $680 Million Figure
Honestly, pinning down a CEO's exact wealth is always a bit of a moving target because the stock market is basically a mood ring for investors. But we can get pretty close by looking at the hard data.
Guthart currently holds about 1.27 million shares of Intuitive Surgical stock. At recent prices hovering around $535 to $570 per share, that holding alone accounts for roughly **$679 million**.
📖 Related: Kathy Ireland Net Worth: Why the 1980s Swimsuit Icon is Actually a Business Giant
- Direct Ownership: He holds several thousand shares in his own name.
- Indirect Holdings: The bulk of his wealth—over 1.2 million shares—is held in trusts for his children.
- Diversification: He’s also served on the board of Illumina (ILMN), which adds a few extra million to the pile, though it’s a drop in the bucket compared to his Intuitive holdings.
He’s been selling. In late 2025, Guthart offloaded over 22,000 shares, pocketing about $13 million in a single transaction. These aren't "panic sells," though. They're usually part of a 10b5-1 trading plan, which is just a fancy way of saying he schedules his sales months in advance so nobody accuses him of insider trading when the stock fluctuates.
A Massive Payday Before Stepping Back
2024 was a huge year for his bank account. Before transitioning to the Executive Chair role in 2025, Guthart pulled in a total compensation package of $18.2 million.
Here is how that actually looked in his "paycheck":
- Base Salary: About $1 million.
- Stock Awards: Over $15.5 million.
- Non-equity Incentive Plan: Roughly $1.6 million.
But that’s just the "reported" pay. When you factor in the stock options he finally cashed out—the ones he'd been sitting on for years—his actual take-home for that final full year as CEO was closer to $55 million.
Why He’s Getting a Pay Cut Now
Things changed in July 2025. David Rosa took over the CEO chair, and Guthart moved into a senior advisory and Executive Chair role.
The board didn't just let him keep his old salary for a part-time gig. His base pay dropped from $1.05 million to $700,000. He also lost his eligibility for the massive corporate bonuses he used to get. You might think $700k is a lot (and it is), but for a guy used to $18 million packages, it’s a significant downshift.
📖 Related: Sales tax in Boca Raton Florida: What You're Actually Paying at the Register
The NASA to Robotics Pipeline
The "how" is just as interesting as the "how much." Guthart didn't start in a boardroom; he started in a lab. He was at SRI International—the same place that birthed Siri—developing the foundation for computer-enhanced surgery.
Before that? He was at NASA. He was studying how pilots perform under pressure. You can see how that transferred to surgery. If you can help a pilot land a plane, you can probably help a surgeon remove a gallbladder using a joystick.
What Most People Get Wrong About Gary Guthart
People see the $680 million and think "corporate greed." But you have to remember that when Guthart joined Intuitive in 1996, the company was basically a startup with a dream. He stayed for 30 years.
📖 Related: Burn Down Charts: What Most Teams Get Wrong About Tracking Progress
He didn't just "manage" the company; he engineered the machines. He owns dozens of patents. If he had left in the early 2000s, Intuitive might have just been another failed biotech experiment. Instead, the company has a market cap of over $170 billion today.
Actionable Insights for Investors
If you're tracking Gary Guthart's net worth because you're interested in the stock, here's the reality:
- Watch the transition: Since he's no longer CEO, the "Guthart premium" is fading. The market is now judging David Rosa.
- Institutional trust: Despite his sales, Guthart still keeps the vast majority of his wealth in ISRG. That’s a massive signal of confidence.
- The 10b5-1 factor: Don't freak out when you see a headline saying "Executive Chair Sells $15 Million in Stock." Look at the filing. If it’s a scheduled sale, it’s just a guy diversifying his retirement.
Gary Guthart’s story is basically the blueprint for the "Engineer-CEO." He built the product, then he built the company, and then he let the stock market do the heavy lifting for his net worth.
Next Steps for Research:
- Check the latest SEC Form 4 filings for Intuitive Surgical to see if Guthart has initiated any new 10b5-1 selling plans for 2026.
- Review the 2026 Proxy Statement (usually released in March/April) to see the exact finalization of his transition pay as Executive Chair.