After eye-bulging shock, my thoughts on Elon Musk’s pay package
Posted By RichC on November 12, 2025
Elon Musk‘s new Tesla pay package isn’t a guaranteed $1 TRILLION payout, it’s a stretch-goal incentive structure requiring him to achieve extraordinarily ambitious milestones: deploying 1 million robotaxis, selling 10 million FSD subscriptions, scaling to 1 million Optimus robots, and growing Tesla’s market cap 6x to $8.5T (surpassing Nvidia’s peak).
Tesla also laid out a series of earnings milestones for Musk, beginning with $50 billion in annual adjusted profit and moving up to $400 billion. In the third quarter, Tesla reported adjusted EBITDA of $4.2 billion. – CNBC
These aren’t “easy” bonuses—they demand transforming transportation, labor, and society at a scale no company has ever achieved. Hitting even a fraction would create immense shareholder value and advance humanity.
Shareholders approved it 75-25 because they recognize: visionaries who swing for the fences and connect should be rewarded massively when they deliver. Musk has done it before; tying his compensation to these moonshots aligns incentives perfectly. Ambitious targets deserve ambitious upside.
EDIT add 11/12/2025: This story appeared in the TheHustings right column today with a center column and left column counterpoint.
Comments