The Economist Musk’s massive massive pay package

Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting, usually an
occasion for investors to shower praise on Elon Musk, threatens to be a more brutal spectacle this year. A vote on a controversial shift of corporate headquarters from Delaware to Texas will be overshadowed by a vote to reapprove Mr Musk’s massive pay packet.
Stock options now worth some $45bn were granted in 2018. These were dependent on performance, including surpassing a market value that has since crumbled as Tesla sales have sagged. In January the deal was struck down by a judge in Delaware who called the pay package an “unfathomable sum”.
Mr Musk argues that he needs more shares to keep control of Tesla and has warned that if he doesn’t get them he will take his artificial intelligence know-how to one of his private companies, such as SpaceX. Mr Musk’s reaction to losing, or even a big minority in opposition, may be as explosive as one of the firm’s failed rocket launches.