Tesla’s proposed $1 trillion stock payout to Elon Musk relies on the company hitting several milestones, including selling 1 million Robotaxis.
At times the richest man alive, Elon Musk isn’t exactly strapped for cash — but the billionaire stands to become a whole lot wealthier. As the CEO of electric auto maker Tesla, Musk is practically synonymous with the company, for better or worse. After buying the company from its founders, Musk used his gift for garnering attention to make the company one of the most visible brands of the 2010s. He ingeniously marketed Tesla as a tech company, which helped its valuation soar in an era of big tech ascendance.
If that were the end of the story, Musk’s new pay package, approved this year by Tesla’s board, would still be shocking. No person has ever received a trillion dollars, but that’s the stock amount the company awarded its CEO, though it must still be approved by shareholders. Stranger still, the package was approved as the halo around Musk finally began to dim. After donating nearly $300 million to his campaign, Musk joined President Donald Trump’s administration as the head of a bizarre new franken-agency, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
