It’s the biggest, boldest pay package ever proposed for a CEO. Tesla’s board pitched a plan that could hand Elon Musk close to $1 trillion in stock over the next ten years if, and only if, Tesla hits some astronomical milestones.
Shareholders had the final say on Thursday, voting on whether Musk deserves this unprecedented haul. The plan involves Musk receiving over 423 million additional shares, increasing his Tesla stake to around 25%. But it’s not a free ride. To unlock the full fortune, Tesla must push its market value from approximately $1.5 trillion today to a jaw-dropping $8.5 trillion a leap that would make Tesla bigger than the combined market caps of tech giants Meta, Microsoft, and Alphabet.
Beyond valuation, Musk must steer Tesla to deliver 12 million additional vehicles annually, deploy 1 million robotaxis, and roll out 1 million humanoid robots, among ambitious targets. The stakes have never been higher. Success means Musk could catapult from already one of the richest people on earth to the world’s first trillionaire.
Not everyone’s sold. Major investors like Norway’s sovereign wealth fund voted against the package, citing worries over the sheer scale, dilution risks, and Musk’s outsized influence. Proxy advisory firms have also urged shareholders to reject it.
Tesla Chairman Robyn Denholm and the board insisted Musk is vital for Tesla’s future. They warned rejecting the plan could push Musk to walk away, risking Tesla’s star leadership and its place at the cutting edge of AI, robotics, and electric vehicles.
The vote’s outcome will reshape Tesla’s leadership story and set a new benchmark even in an era of astronomical executive paychecks. Musk betting Tesla’s future on these gambits distinguishes him as both a visionary and a lightning rod.
Waiting for the numbers to drop, one thing’s clear: this is a vote with stakes bigger than just dollars Tesla’s future, and Musk’s legacy, hang in the balance.
