Tesla offers massive $1 trillion pay package to Elon Musk

Core Points - Tesla's board proposed a new compensation plan for CEO Elon Musk potentially worth $1 trillion, which would be the largest executive pay package in history [1][2] - The proposal includes up to 12% of Tesla's stock, contingent on achieving aggressive targets, including a market capitalization of $8.5 trillion over a 10-year period [2][6] - Tesla's current market value is approximately $1.1 trillion, and Musk currently owns about 13% of the company's outstanding shares [2][6] Compensation Details - The compensation plan is structured as restricted stock grants, meaning Musk cannot sell the shares immediately [2] - The board emphasized that Musk's leadership is crucial for Tesla to navigate significant challenges and achieve its ambitious goals [5] - The plan is also justified by the fact that Musk has not received meaningful compensation since 2017, despite Tesla's market capitalization increasing over 20 times since March 2018 [6] Performance Targets - Musk's payout is tied to ambitious targets, including delivering 20 million Tesla vehicles by 2035 and launching 1 million robotaxis into commercial service [7] - Additionally, Tesla must achieve $400 billion in adjusted EBITDA, a significant increase from the $16.6 billion achieved in 2024 [8] Market Reaction - Following the announcement of the compensation plan, Tesla shares rose, indicating positive market sentiment [10] - This proposal follows a previous $29 billion pay deal aimed at retaining Musk as CEO during a transition from electric vehicles to robotaxis and humanoid robots [11] Legal Context - The company also issued an interim award of 96 million new shares as a "good faith" payment related to a previously struck down $50 billion pay package from 2018 [13] - Musk's ability to claim these shares is contingent on remaining a top executive for another two years and the outcome of an ongoing court appeal regarding the 2018 package [14]