Copyright The New York Times
Does Elon Musk deserve a $1 trillion payday? Tomorrow, Tesla’s shareholders will make a very big decision: Should the company give Elon Musk, its chief executive, nearly $1 trillion in stock? Musk and his critics have been waging heated campaigns before the company’s annual meeting in Texas, when it will announce the results of a vote on his compensation package. The fight has distinct echoes of the hostility that characterizes American politics, especially in light of Musk’s on-again, off-again alliance with President Trump. Even Pope Leo XIV has weighed in, citing Musk’s pay as an example of the gap between rich and poor. Beyond the jaw-dropping payday, the fight is about control: If the proposal is approved, Musk’s voting stake in Tesla would be around 25 percent. While that is well short of a majority, it would be very difficult to pass measures he opposed.
