Tesla CEO Elon Musk has fired back at critics over the mounting scrutiny over his proposed trillion-dollar pay package. In a post shared on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) Musk questioned who else could lead the EV company if not him. In a pointed response posted on X, Musk defended his leadership and threw open the question: “Which car company CEO should run Tesla? It won’t be me.”
The comment from Musk came in as a reply to a post by Tesla enthusiast Romain Hedouin. The X user criticised Musk’s potential $20 billion payout for achieving a $2 trillion market cap milestone. Hedouin argued that the growth target—3.8% annually over the next decade—would “barely beat inflation” and underperform the S&P 500, calling the compensation “over-pay for its CEO.”
Musk responded by highlighting Tesla’s dominance: “Tesla is worth more than all other automotive companies combined,” he wrote, implying that no other auto executive could match the scale or ambition required to lead the company.
The most expensive pay package ever
Elon Musk’s 2018 pay deal was made around the ambitious performance milestones tied to Tesla’s market value and operational growth. However, Elon Musk has not met those targets and a Delaware judge ruled that the process also lacked sufficient independence and transparency, calling the board’s approval ‘deeply flawed’. As reported by Reuters, Tesla is now appealing the decision arguing that shareholders had full knowledge and voted overwhelmingly in favour.
“This was the most informed stockholder vote in Delaware history,” said Tesla attorney Jeffrey Wall during oral arguments. “Reaffirming that would resolve this case.”
Elon Musk’s role and Tesla’s future
The stakes are equally high for Tesla. Elon Musk’s leadership is deeply intertwined with the company’s brand, innovation, and investor confidence. A failure to restore the pay package could raise questions about Musk’s long-term commitment and Tesla’s ability to retain visionary talent.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is said to earn tens of billions of dollars from a record-breaking compensation package even if he fails to meet most of the ambitious goals set by the bard of the company. As reported by Reuters, Musk could surpass the lifetime earbibggs of CEOs such as Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Ellison, Tim Cook and Jensen Huang by just achieve some relatively modest milestones. In September this year, the Tesla board proposed a 10-year compensation package which could award Musk up to $878 billion in stocks on the condition of hitting a series of ‘Mars-shot’ gaols.
The goals include breakthroughs in robotics, autonomous driving, and massive profit and valuation targets. However, as reported by Reuters, Elon Musk could still earn more than $50 billion by meeting just a handful of easier goals without actually transforming Tesla’s products or business.
