Commentary

The case against Elon Musk’s $46bn pay deal

Tesla’s board is asking shareholders to approve a substantial dilution of their stakes for no good reason

Elon Musk already owns $72bn worth of Tesla shares.
Elon Musk already owns $72bn worth of Tesla shares. Photo: Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters

If this column had a vote, which it doesn’t, it would cast it against Elon Musk’s gargantuan pay deal at Tesla’s coming annual general meeting.

Worth $46bn at the latest share price, the chief executive’s contested 2018 packet is disproportionate in every way. It is almost 300 times as much as what America’s best-paid CEO for 2023 earned ($162m). It is also more than twice the annual free cash flows Tesla has generated in its entire existence, including expectations for this year ($22.5bn). And, crucially for shareholders, who would pay for it through the dilution of their holdings, it is about 8% of the company’s market value ($557bn).

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