Could Tesla Make Musk a Trillionaire?

Tesla’s board of directors has unveiled a historic new compensation plan for CEO Elon Musk, one that could be worth as much as $1 trillion over the next decade.

The proposal, set to go before shareholders, would grant Musk up to 423.7 million additional shares, but only if Tesla reaches ambitious milestones. At the top end, Musk would receive the full payout if Tesla achieves a valuation of $8.5 trillion, more than eight times its current worth and double the size of any company in history.

The board argues such a package is necessary to keep Musk’s attention on Tesla, as he juggles other ventures including SpaceX, Starlink, his AI startup xAI, and the social platform X, formerly Twitter.

Musk has also demanded at least 25% voting control, warning he might otherwise take his talents elsewhere. Supporters see the plan as aligning Musk’s incentives with investors, particularly in emerging areas like AI, robotaxis, and humanoid robots.

Critics, however, call the package “absurd,” pointing to Musk’s history of missed deadlines on full self-driving promises. Shareholders are expected to vote on the plan, with many likely weighing Musk’s proven ability to keep Tesla’s stock buoyant despite controversies.