Elon Musk Wins $1 Trillion Pay Package: How It Compares To Other Top CEOs' Salaries

Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, could soon become history's first trillionaire. The billionaire businessman has won a shareholder vote that would give the Tesla CEO stock worth $1 trillion if he hits certain performance targets over the next decade. 

Musk's approved pay package is roughly 18 times the size of his contested 2018 package - then valued at $56 billion - and is close to the company's current market valuation. His current net worth stands at about $460 billion, largely driven by his holdings in Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. With his new pay package, his net worth would exceed the current gross domestic product of all but seven countries.

The approval followed weeks of debate over Musk's management record at the electric vehicle (EV) maker and whether anyone deserved such unprecedented pay, drawing heated commentary from small investors to giant pension funds and even the pope. In the end, more than 75 per cent of voters approved the plan as shareholders gathered in Austin, Texas, for their annual meeting. 

The move showed investors still have faith in Musk as Tesla struggles with plunging sales, market share and profits in no small part due to Musk himself.

Earlier this year, Tesla had already approved an interim compensation package for Musk worth about $29 billion in restricted stock, designed to keep him at the helm through at least 2030.

How Musk's Pay Package Compares With Other Top US CEOs

Musk's potential payout exceeds the earnings of even the highest-paid CEOs in the world of tech and businesses more broadly. 

According to a Reuters report, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was paid just over $79 million in 2024. Apple CEO Tim Cook took home about $75 million that year. The next biggest pay cheque went to Nvidia's Jensen Huang, who took home nearly $50 million.

(Source: Reuters)

The packages each include stock awards worth tens of millions of dollars, like Musk's salary at Tesla. Just like Musk, Cook and Nadella have also profited from massive stock gains in the past decade. Both Microsoft and Apple are worth more than double Tesla's valuation.