Tesla’s Message to Musk: “Pick a Number, Any Number”

In a stunning move that seems to ignore recent controversies, Tesla’s board has effectively told Elon Musk to “pick a number, any number” with a new pay package that could exceed a trillion dollars. This approach signals a desperate desire to lock in their star CEO for the long term, no matter the cost.
According to one investment analyst, the proposal “beggars belief” and appears to be a reactive move to secure a leader some fear could be a flight risk or is becoming distracted. After a period of wondering if Musk was a liability due to his political antics, the board has swung to the opposite extreme, offering the largest financial incentive in history to keep him.
This strategy is rooted in the belief that only Musk can navigate Tesla through its next phase of growth, which is centered on high-risk, high-reward ventures in AI and robotics. The board is willing to offer a historic prize to ensure he is the one leading that charge, rather than dedicating his energies elsewhere.
While presented as a performance-based plan, the sheer size of the potential award can also be seen as an admission of the board’s deep-seated reliance on its celebrity CEO. The “any number” approach suggests that, in their eyes, the risk of losing Musk or his focus is far greater than the risk of public outcry over an excessive pay package.