Elon Musk concluded an otherwise predictable Tesla earnings call with a dramatic, off-script monologue. The world’s richest person interrupted his CFO toward the end of the 75-minute discussion, pivoting sharply from topics like AI and robotaxis to his own controversial pay.
At the heart of the interruption was Musk’s push for a staggering $1 trillion pay package. This compensation plan is not yet approved; it faces a critical vote by Tesla shareholders at the company’s annual meeting in Austin on November 6.
Musk offered a unique justification for the package, framing it as a matter of “strong influence” and voting control. “I just think that there needs to be enough voting control to give a strong influence,” he stated, before adding a characteristic caveat: “But not not so much that I can’t be fired if I go insane.”
The Tesla CEO saved his most fiery comments for proxy advisory services ISS and Glass Lewis. He referred to their recommendations against the package as “asinine,” accusing them of having “no freaking clue.” Musk expressed fear of being “ousted” by these firms after “building a robot army” at the company.
After Musk’s outburst, CFO Vaibhav Taneja had the final words. He reiterated the board committee’s stance, arguing the package was designed to align Musk’s incentives with investors. Taneja stressed that Musk only benefits if shareholders achieve “substantial returns” and urged investors to vote “yes” on the plan.