Nov 7 (Reuters) - Tesla CEO Elon Musk has won
shareholder approval for the largest corporate pay package in
history.
At the EV maker's annual meeting at its factory in Austin,
Texas, Musk bounded to the stage accompanied by dancing robots.
The proposal was approved with more than 75% support, allowing
Musk to get as much as $1 trillion in stock over the next
decade.
Here are some comments from analysts and experts:
MATT BRITZMAN, SENIOR EQUITY ANALYST, HARGREAVES LANSDOWN
"A $1 trillion CEO pay package is outrageous - but so are the
Everest-sized milestones Tesla must conquer to unlock it. For
shareholders, it's the ultimate alignment: Musk earns nothing
unless he creates staggering value, and if he pulls off the
unimaginable, investors will be sitting atop an $8.5 trillion
titan."
"2026 looms as a watershed moment ... Critics cry 'key man
risk', and they're not wrong, but investors have spoken. The
Musk premium is alive and well."
MIKE O'ROURKE, CHIEF MARKET STRATEGIST, JONES TRADING
"There is no doubt Musk has the ability to execute the
impossible in the business world ... With Tesla's EV business on
the decline, we are surprised Musk has not abandoned ship and
simply used his genius in his private companies. For that reason
alone, it was worth it for shareholders to grant the package."
"Nonetheless, it is highly unlikely this works out well when
a $1.5 trillion company needs to award a $1 trillion pay package
to the richest man in the world."
CHRIS BEAUCHAMP, CHIEF MARKET ANALYST, IG MARKETS
"If it's performance-based stock options, then it's not
necessarily the requirement to provide it (the pay) all upfront.
And if he grows the company to $8.5 trillion, then the questions
will answer themselves in due course. So I don't think it's a
particular concern about how they will pay for this."
"(The board) has taken some steps. But the question is
really where Musk sees his focus lie. The lofty goals he's been
given requires a lot of attention and whether he continues to
keep so many plates spinning is another matter entirely."
RUSS MOULD, INVESTMENT DIRECTOR AT AJ BELL
"There are logical reasons for shareholders to have given their
assent. To reach the astronomical headline figure Musk must hit
some extremely demanding targets... In this sense there was
little to lose for most Tesla holders in approving the deal. If
Musk does get the $1 trillion, shareholders will have done very
nicely indeed."
BRIAN DUNN, DIRECTOR OF INSTITUTE FOR COMPENSATION STUDIES IN
CORNELL UNIVERSITY'S SCHOOL OF INDUSTRIAL AND LABOR RELATIONS
"Is Elon Musk an extraordinary individual? Yes, he is. Does the
stock price reflect a reasonable multiple of earnings? No. The
value of Tesla's stock is clearly tied to a belief that
something extraordinary will happen in the future... Is it worth
$1 trillion of shareholders' money to hope that that will
actually occur? I think not."