Tesla Board Made $3 Billion via Stock Awards that Dwarfed Tech Peers
Tesla’s board earned over $3 billion from stock options mainly granted before 2021, averaging $1.7 million annually despite a pay suspension, outpacing peers in Big Tech.
- Dec 15: Reuters reported that Equilar's analysis found Tesla board of directors earned more than $3 billion from stock awards far exceeding those at major U.S. tech firms.
- Relying on early option grants, Tesla relied heavily on stock options issued before its valuation surged, prompting the board to suspend pay after shareholder litigation swelled awards.
- Among individual payouts, Kimbal Musk, Tesla director and Elon Musk's brother, earned nearly $1 billion, and Ira Ehrenpreis collected $869 million, according to Equilar.
- The settlement approved on Jan. 8, 2025 required roughly $277 million in returned cash, $459 million in stock-option returns, and imposed shareholder approval for future Tesla board compensation.
- Governance experts told Reuters that Tesla's board pay undermines directors' independence overseeing Elon Musk, and Douglas Chia said, `Tesla directors are ridiculously overpaid`; investors backed a CEO award that could reach $1 trillion.
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Tesla board made $3 billion via stock awards that dwarfed tech peers
Between 2018 and 2020, the average Tesla director received a total of about $12 million in cash-and-stock compensation. That was about eight times as much as the average director at Alphabet, the next highest-paid among the "Magnificent Seven" companies.
Tesla board members earn more than €2.6 billion from stock awards
The board of directors of Tesla earned more than $3 billion (€2.6 billion) from stock awards, far exceeding the compensation granted to their peers at major US tech companies. This analysis by compensation and governance specialist Equilar reveals that Elon Musk’s brother Kimbal has earned nearly $1 billion (€850 million) through appreciated stock options since [… The post Tesla board members earn more than €2.6 billion from stock awards appeare…
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