Austin, Texas: In a historic financial decision for the technology and auto industries, shareholders of Tesla, the company led by the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, have approved an extraordinary compensation plan worth one trillion dollars ($1 Trillion) for him to continue serving as Chief Executive. This compensation figure exceeds the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of several nations, including Ireland, Sweden, and Argentina.
The approval for this massive pay scheme was granted at the Tesla Annual Shareholder Event in Austin, where 75% of investors voted in favour. This overwhelming majority reflects the deep confidence investors place in Musk’s leadership. Following the announcement, Elon Musk thanked the shareholders and celebrated by performing a short dance on stage with Tesla’s Optimus robots, which he proclaimed to be the “future of the company and humanity.”
The Conditions for the World’s First Trillionaire:
Although the package has been approved, Elon Musk will only receive this staggering sum if he successfully achieves a set of extremely ambitious goals established by the company. Success in meeting these targets would make him the world’s first individual Trillionaire.
Musk has been given up to a decade to reach these milestones, which require him to boost Tesla’s market capitalization to $8.5 trillion, an eight-fold increase over its current valuation. The goals are divided into 12 tranches and include:
- Selling 20 million electric vehicles.
- Selling 10 million Full Self-Driving subscriptions.
- Manufacturing and selling 1 million humanoid robots.
- Developing Robotaxis for commercial service.
- Sustaining Tesla’s revenue at $400 billion for four consecutive quarters (a significant leap from the $4.2 billion revenue recorded in Q3 2025).
Criticism and Legal Precedent:
Critics of the plan argue that granting such a colossal award concentrates too much power around one individual and ignores the real operational challenges facing the company.
It is noteworthy that Tesla previously approved a $56 billion package for Musk in 2018, which was later rejected by a Delaware court. The court ruled that the Tesla board had improperly designed the package and concealed crucial details from shareholders to secure the pay deal’s approval. Elon Musk is currently ranked as the world’s richest person with a net worth of $461 billion.
