Elon Musk's Tesla pay valued at $158bn - but he won't pocket it

Tesla has valued its compensation for billionaire boss Elon Musk at a whopping $158bn (£117bn) in 2025 - according to regulatory filings submitted on Thursday - but also disclosed he will not be getting any of it. Musk's compensation reflects the firm's estimate of what he would earn should he meet the terms of an astronomical pay deal approved by Tesla shareholders in November. However, it only becomes payable if he hits ambitious milestones, including raising the company's market value to $8.5tn, in which case Musk could be awarded shares worth up to $1tn. Analysts say he has some way to go before doing that, meaning the monster pay package is nominal only, for now at least. "Elon Musk isn't actually going to pocket $158bn," said Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at AJ Bell. "He's still got a whole bunch of targets to hit and none of the milestones set out in the $1tn pay deal approved by shareholders last year were achieved in 2025." She told the BBC Musk's compensation figures, disclosed in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Thursday, are "a promise he'll receive that amount in Tesla shares for his work over the past year if he does manage t