How meeting these simple targets will earn Elon Musk more than lifetime pay of CEOs of Meta, Oracle Apple and Nvidia

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.


Easy wins, big rewards

According to Reuters, some of the simpler tasks include:

• Selling an average of 1.2 million cars per year over the next decade less than Tesla’s 2024 output. If the market value of Tesla increase from $1.4 trillion to $2 trillion by 2035, then Musk would earn around $8.2 billion in stocks.
• Some of the vaguely defined goals include deployment of around 1 million robotaxis and achieve 10 million full self-driving subscriptions. The goal also includes 1 million AI-powered bots which could trigger massive payouts even if they fail to boost profits.

Each product goal, when paired with a valuation step, unlocks 1% of Tesla’s stock, meaning Musk can accumulate wealth even if profit targets are missed.


CEO pay comparison


Shareholder vote ahead

The Tesla shareholders are said to vote on Elon Musk’s package in November 2025. While the board insists the plan is “worth zero” unless Musk delivers, critics argue the structure allows for outsized rewards with minimal transformation. Musk, who recently crossed the $500 billion net worth threshold, has said the package ensures he retains influence over Tesla “if we build millions of robots.”