The highest salary in the world: $56 billion

Tesla shareholders have approved paying Elon Musk the highest salary in the world, a bonus of about $56 billion.

According to specialized media such as Reuters, this remuneration is approximately equivalent to 9% of the company's stock market value, which gives an idea of the operation's size.

This operation will have to be approved by the Justice of the State of Delaware, where Tesla currently has its headquarters, for the moment.

However, as there is no precedent for a payment of this magnitude, the shareholders themselves have shown their uncertainty, at a legal level, in a statement released by the company.

The Delaware Court already declared this compensation illegal at the beginning of 2024, according to Bloomberg.

It was Judge Kathaleen McCormick, of the Delaware Commercial Court, who considered that the Tesla Board of Directors, which established this remuneration package in 2018, did not have independence when approving it.

And, according to the judge, the objectives set for Elon Musk were very easy to achieve, which gave rise to her invalidating the agreement, as Bloomberg pointed out.

To resolve the issue, Elon Musk decided to move the headquarters to Texas, something that was ratified by shareholders in the same vote that approved the remuneration of its CEO.

If Elon Musk finally receives the $56 billion, the businessman would regain the throne as the richest man in the world, after increasing his wealth, which is currently estimated at $207 billion.

Furthermore, with this package of shares, Elon Musk would go from having 13% of Tesla's capital to 21%. However, he has already commented on some occasion on X that his intention is to reach 25%, threatening to withdraw AI and robotics operations from the company if they don't even allow him to reach that percentage.

In parallel, Tesla shares have risen 10% in recent days, thanks to rumors about the approval of remuneration, fueled by Elon Musk himself through his social media accounts.

Of course, it remains to be seen how the market reacts to Tesla's shares once this bonus is approved, as it would imply the issuance of 8% more shares, reducing the value of each existing title, according to the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia.

In fact, so far in 2024, Tesla shares have fallen by around 27%, going from $250 to $182, a fall that could be accentuated after the resolution that gives the green light to Elon Musk's bonus.

This is all in a complicated context for the company, whose sales have stagnated due to China's rise in the sale of electric cars.

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