Tesla has granted its CEO, Elon Musk, an option package of 96 million shares, with a total estimated value of about $ 29 billion. This decision was made against the backdrop of ongoing litigation related to the cancellation of the previous compensation approved in 2018, and is aimed at maintaining Musk's managerial control in the company.
Earlier, in 2024, a Delaware court invalidated the compensation package approved by the Tesla board of directors in 2018. At that time, it was estimated at $ 56 billion and was considered the largest in corporate history. The court pointed out violations of the procedures for approving the agreement, doubting its fairness in relation to minority shareholders. Musk filed an appeal, insisting that the court's decision was made with procedural errors, and expressed his intention to challenge it up to the highest authorities.
Against the background of the ongoing proceedings, the Tesla board of directors formed a special committee, whose task was to consider alternative compensation schemes and maintain Musk's involvement in the company's activities. In a published statement, the committee noted that the variety of business initiatives in which Musk is involved, as well as the growing interest in his participation in other high-tech projects, require additional incentives to maintain his focus on Tesla.
The award of a new block of shares is accompanied by a positive reaction from investors. In premarket trading, Tesla shares rose more than 2 percent, reflecting shareholders ' expectations that the company will maintain stable strategic leadership in the person of Musk, a key figure in the development of both the brand and the automaker's technology platform.
The situation surrounding Musk's compensation remains one of the most discussed issues of corporate governance in the United States, touching on the topics of transparency, shareholder equity, and the boundaries between strategic leadership and the personal benefit of top management. Against the background of increasing competition in the electric car segment and the prospects for Tesla's entry into new markets, the issue of keeping Musk in the company's management continues to be the subject of both internal analysis and the attention of the financial community.
