Rocket Cos. CEO Varun Krishna will be applying his finance and technology expertise in a new venture outside of the mortgage industry as he joins the board of directors at Southwest Airlines. "Varun brings deep expertise in digital products, innovation and customer engagement," said Southwest President and CEO Bob Jordan in a press release. For full-year 2025, Rocket finished as the nation's leading lender based on unit count , according to Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data. As CEO, Krishna received $52.9 million in total compensation last year, most of it in the form of stock-related awards, according to Rocket's annual report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. As a director at Southwest Airlines, both Krishna and Liberty will earn an annual retainer fee of $100,000 and become eligible for standard stock grants through its equity-incentive plan for board members.