Tesla Shareholders Vote on Elon Musk's Controversial $56 Billion Pay Package
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, announced on June 13, 2024, that shareholders had re-approved his controversial pay package worth $56 billion in stock options. The vote came after a Delaware judge invalidated the deal earlier this year due to concerns about its fairness and Musk's involvement in its creation.
The pay package, which was approved by Tesla shareholders for the first time in 2018, granted Musk stock options that would vest if Tesla reached certain sales, profits, and market value milestones. For Musk to receive all of his options, Tesla's sales had to reach $700 billion, its profits had to exceed $15 billion annually for four consecutive years, and its market value had to surpass $650 billion.
The vote on Musk's pay package was not the only significant item on the agenda at Tesla's annual meeting. Shareholders also voted to approve Tesla's incorporation in Texas, a move that Musk announced earlier this year as part of his ongoing feud with Delaware over its business-friendly but sometimes criticized legal system.
Despite shareholder support for Musk's pay package, there are concerns about his increasing focus on ventures outside of Tesla. He recently bought Twitter for $44 billion and sold $22.9 billion of his Tesla shares to help fund the purchase.
The vote on Musk's pay package is seen as a referendum on executive compensation and the accountability of Silicon Valley billionaires. Some argue that Musk deserves every penny for his leadership role in popularizing electric vehicles and turning Tesla into the most valuable auto company in the world. Others believe that such massive pay packages create an unfair concentration of wealth and power.
The results of the vote are expected to be announced on June 15, 2024.