Tesla's Elon Musk is smart and a genius but 'a little off his rocker', prospective jurors in the 'funding secured' trial say
Business InsiderMAY 2023
Final Arguments Scheduled in Musk's $56B Tesla Pay Plan Trial
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The Spin
Narrative B
This compensation plan was granted to Musk — who took on high risk to achieve a high reward — because of his paramount role in Tesla's success. Though Tesla skeptics ridiculed his decisions at the time, Musk's management has resulted in the carmaker increasing its value from $59B to $600B and achieving almost all its stipulated performance targets.
Narrative A
This compensation plan is clearly excessive. Musk has benefited from his influence over the board's committee – which falsely claimed it had no conflicts of interest – and been rewarded for his part-time management role at Tesla, largely on the grounds of milestones that had already been achieved when shareholders voted.