Elon Musk pay reboot: Tesla approves bn award after court setback, board bets big to retain CEO’s focus on AI
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Elon Musk pay reboot: Tesla approves $29bn award after court setback, board bets big to retain CEO's focus on AI

Tesla has approved a new stock award for CEO Elon Musk worth an estimated $29 billion, offering him 96 million shares as part of a fresh compensation deal aimed at keeping him at the companyโ€™s helm. The move comes just months after a Delaware court voided Muskโ€™s earlier 2018 pay package, which had been valued at over $50 billion, ruling that the boardโ€™s approval process was flawed and unfair to shareholders, Reuters reported.Musk, who holds a 13% stake in Tesla, is currently appealing the Delaware courtโ€™s decision. His legal team has argued that the judge made โ€œmultiple legal errorsโ€ in striking down what was then the largest executive compensation plan in corporate history, valued at over $50 billion.Earlier this year, Tesla said a special board committee had been formed to revisit Muskโ€™s compensation, though it did not initially disclose details. The new award โ€” nearly $29 billion based on current market prices โ€” will require Musk to pay $23.34 per share of restricted stock, the same as the exercise price of his voided 2018 package.“While we recognize Elon’s business ventures, interests, and other potential demands on his time and attention are extensive and wide-ranging … we are confident that this award will incentivize Elon to remain at Tesla,” the special committee said in its filing.Teslaโ€™s board and Musk have repeatedly stated that increasing his voting power was essential to securing his continued leadership at the company, especially as it undergoes a strategic pivot. Musk has redirected Teslaโ€™s focus away from its long-promised affordable electric vehicle platform, instead pushing toward autonomous robotaxis and humanoid robots โ€” a move that positions Tesla more as a technology and AI-driven company than a traditional automaker.The announcement of Muskโ€™s new compensation plan helped lift Tesla shares, which rose more than 2% in premarket trading



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