TLDRs;
Tesla proposes record-breaking $1 trillion pay package for Elon Musk, tied to extreme growth and performance milestones.
Musk must hit $8.5 trillion valuation, 20 million annual car deliveries, 1 million robotaxis, and $400B EBITDA.
Shareholders vote November 6 as Tesla seeks to retain Musk amid leadership concerns and European market challenges.
Tesla shares rise 2% after announcement, reflecting investor optimism despite criticism over unprecedented compensation scale.
Tesla has unveiled a groundbreaking compensation package for CEO Elon Musk that could ultimately make him the highest-paid executive in corporate history.
The new proposal, valued at up to US$1 trillion, ties Musk’s potential payout to ambitious performance goals over the next decade.
The deal, if approved, would significantly expand Musk’s stake in Tesla, pushing his ownership to at least 25% of the company. The package comes just months after a Delaware court struck down Musk’s 2018 pay agreement, which had been valued at more than US$50 billion.
Goals That Push Limits
To claim the full $1 trillion payout, Elon Musk will need to steer Tesla through some of the most ambitious targets ever set for a company.
Among them are pushing Tesla’s market valuation to an eye-watering US$8.5 trillion, scaling annual vehicle deliveries to 20 million units, a figure nearly ten times higher than today’s output, rolling out a fleet of 1 million autonomous robotaxis, and generating up to US$400 billion in adjusted EBITDA.
Tesla’s board has stressed that the plan is entirely performance-driven, designed to reward Musk only if the company achieves these historic milestones.
Designed to Keep Musk at Tesla
The proposal comes at a pivotal moment for Tesla. Musk’s increasing involvement in other ventures, including government advisory roles, SpaceX, and X (formerly Twitter), has sparked concerns among shareholders that his focus on Tesla has diminished.
The company has faced challenges in Europe, including a reported 40% sales drop and waves of protests targeting its factories.
By tying Musk’s compensation directly to Tesla’s growth, the board, as Tesla Chair Robyn Denholm noted hopes to ensure his long-term commitment.
Importantly, the plan also requires Musk to stay on as either CEO or as a top executive overseeing product and operations. For the final stages of the payout, he must also participate in succession planning, ensuring Tesla’s leadership remains stable into the future.
Shareholder Vote Set for November
The new deal will be put to a vote at a shareholder meeting scheduled for November 6. Investors will weigh both the scale of the package and the governance reforms attached to it.
Some critics argue that the proposal highlights the extreme wealth gap between executives and average workers. For perspective, the potential $1 trillion payout is more than 83,000 times the average S&P 500 CEO’s annual compensation. Others say it reflects the outsized role that technology leaders now play in shaping entire industries.
Despite these debates, Tesla’s shares rose by 2% following the announcement, signaling initial investor optimism.
What This Means for Tesla
If approved, Musk’s new pay plan would dwarf every executive compensation package in modern history, reflecting both Tesla’s outsized ambitions and Musk’s central role in its strategy. With goals that stretch into robotics, AI, and autonomous transportation, the company is positioning itself not just as a carmaker, but as a defining force in the future of mobility.
The trillion-dollar figure may seem astronomical, but it underscores Tesla’s bet that Musk’s leadership can propel the company into uncharted territory, transforming it into a tech-and-transportation giant with the market value of a small nation.