Michael Dell defends Elon Musk’s controversial Tesla payday

Dell CEO Michael Dell has shown his support for Elon Musk amid the growing debate over the Tesla CEO’s controversial $1 trillion pay package.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Dell urged shareholders to back Musk’s 2025 CEO Performance Award, calling it a “risk-reward deal” that only pays off if Musk achieves extraordinary success.

“Vote for Elon Musk. The award is only achieved if he hits exceptionally ambitious market-cap and operational milestones, if he falls short, he gets nothing,” Dell wrote. 

“If he succeeds, shareholders will win big through unprecedented value creation.”

Musk quickly acknowledged the support with a short but telling reply: “Thanks, Michael.”

Dell’s endorsement arrives as Musk faces mounting scrutiny over his proposed compensation, which could make him the world’s first trillionaire if all targets are met.

To secure the payout, Tesla must grow its market value from around $1.1 trillion to $8.5 trillion within the next decade.

In addition, Tesla’s annual operating profit would need to skyrocket from $17 billion to $400 billion, alongside several ambitious product milestones, including 20 million vehicle deliveries, 10 million Full Self-Driving subscriptions, and one million Tesla Bots and Robotaxis.