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Tesla’s $30bn message to Musk: never mind performance, just don’t leave

Will an extra wad persuade the world’s richest and arguably most distracted man to become, well, less distracted?

A protest outside a Tesla on Oxford Street in London, as part of a campaign encouraging people to boycott the brand. Photograph: Maja Smiejkowska/PA Wire
A protest outside a Tesla on Oxford Street in London, as part of a campaign encouraging people to boycott the brand. Photograph: Maja Smiejkowska/PA Wire
Proinsias O'Mahony's picture
Proinsias O'Mahony
Sun Aug 10 2025 - 06:15

Bonuses should reward good behaviour, not bribe the boss to behave.

Tesla’s $30 billion (€25.7 billion) gift to Elon Musk – it will award him 96 million Tesla shares in two years, if he stays put for five – reads less like gratitude and more like desperation.

After all, Musk hasn’t exactly been setting the gold standard lately. Tesla’s UK sales plunged 60 per cent last month. Musk’s far-right messaging has sparked an enormous backlash across Europe, where Tesla sales keep tumbling.

The latest dramatic numbers come from Sweden and Belgium, with registrations plunging 86 and 58 per cent, respectively.

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And in the US, Musk hasn’t just alienated the liberal EV crowd – he has also fallen out with Donald Trump, alienating both sides of the political divide.

Against this backdrop, Tesla insists “retaining Elon is more important than ever before”. This reward will “incentivise” him to remain at Tesla, “energising and focusing” him.

Will an extra $30 billion persuade the world’s richest (Musk is reportedly worth $400 billion) and arguably most distracted man to become, well, less distracted?

Maybe not but Tesla investors don’t mind, with shares rising on the news. Perhaps focus is overrated in a stock driven more by myth than management.

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