Tesla shareholders have officially approved a record-breaking $1 trillion compensation package for CEO Elon Musk, setting the stage for him to potentially become the world’s first trillionaire. With over 75 percent of shareholders voting in favour, the approval marks the largest potential payout in corporate history and reinforces investor confidence that Musk is still the visionary to lead Tesla into an era dominated by robotics and artificial intelligence.
The vote was met with cheers and chants of “Elon” as Musk took the stage in Austin, Texas, celebrating alongside the company’s Optimus humanoid robots.
No Targets, No Trillion
Musk’s payout is not immediate. The $1 trillion package is structured as a massive stock-based grant, released in twelve stages over the next decade. Musk unlocks each portion only if Tesla meets strict performance targets involving market valuation, product deployment and subscription-based revenues. To unlock the full amount, Tesla must reach an astonishing $8.5 trillion market capitalisation, which would require the company’s stock to soar more than 460 percent from current levels.
Achieving that would push Tesla well ahead of today’s most valuable companies. Alongside that valuation, Tesla must deploy a million robotaxis, sell an additional twelve million vehicles, secure ten million Full Self-Driving subscriptions and sell one million Optimus humanoid robots.
How much money is one trillion?
The sheer magnitude of this compensation has led many to ask: how much is one trillion? One trillion is written as 1,000,000,000,000, that is one thousand billion, or one million million. If Musk unlocks the entire package, the payout averages roughly 275 million dollars per day.
The billionaire has claimed that the future of Tesla is not just in electric vehicles but in robotics and autonomous systems. At the shareholder meeting he said, “What we are about to embark upon is not merely a new chapter of the future of Tesla, but a whole new book,” adding that Tesla’s meetings are unlike other corporations because “ours are bangers.”
Criticisms emerged
However, the plan is not without controversy. Several major institutional investors, including Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the American Federation of Teachers, Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis, opposed the proposal, calling the package excessive and risky.
Critics argued that concentrating enormous power and wealth in Musk’s hands ignores the company’s recent challenges, including slowing sales and backlash generated by Musk’s public political and personal behaviour. A protest group called Tesla Takedown described the approval by saying, “Elon Musk just got $1 trillion for failure. Sales are down, safety risks are up, and his politics are driving customers away.”
A future of ‘robot army’
For Musk, the approval is not merely about money but about control. He has previously stated that he wanted the package to ensure he maintains significant influence over Tesla as it expands into robotics. He said he wants to guide what he calls a coming “robot army,” and even suggested that Tesla’s humanoid robots could one day prevent crime by following people around, eliminating the need for prisons.
With shareholder backing secured, Musk now has a decade to deliver one of the most ambitious plans in corporate history. If he succeeds, Tesla will not just reshape transportation it may become the most valuable company the world has ever seen. And Elon Musk will not just be the richest person alive. He will be the first person in history to reach trillionaire status.
Sofia Babu Chacko is a journalist with over five years of experience covering Indian politics, crime, human rights, gender issues, and stories about marginalized communities. She believes that every voice matters, and journalism has a vital role to play in amplifying those voices. Sofia is committed to creating impact and shedding light on stories that truly matter. Beyond her work in the newsroom, she is also a music enthusiast who enjoys singing.
