Business
$1T

Tesla jumped more than 2% in premarket trading on Friday after the company proposed an unprecedented roughly $1 trillion pay package for CEO Elon Musk, according to proxy filings.

To receive the massive payout, Musk will have to increase the company’s market cap to $8.5 trillion from the approximately $1 trillion its at today over the next 10 years.

The pay package also requires that Musk expand Tesla’s product offerings to include 1 million robotaxis in commercial operation and the “delivery of 1 million AI Bots.” Currently the company has about 30 autonomous robotaxis in its invite-only Austin ride-hailing service, though this week the company expanded the waitlist for the service to everyone. Teslas Optimus robots are still under development.

Musk would also have to take part in his own succession planning and develop a framework for who’s to follow him.

Investors have historically tied the fate of Tesla to Musk, so holding on to him for an extended period of time and having his blessing for the succession plan is typically seen as good news for the stock.

“We believe that Elon’s singular vision is vital to navigating this critical inflection point,” the filing reads. “Simply put, retaining and incentivizing Elon is fundamental to Tesla achieving these goals and becoming the most valuable company in history.”

A judge twice struck down Musk’s previous $56 billion compensation package. Last month, the board approved a $30 billion interim pay package, saying that “retaining Elon is more important than ever.”

Shareholders will vote on the pay package at their annual meeting on November 6.

More Business

See all Business
A screenshot from Hims & Hers' website. (Sherwood News)

Hims to begin selling GLP-1 microdosing treatments

The company reports earnings results next Monday.

Premium seats help push airlines higher following third-quarter results

Shares of American Airlines are climbing toward the carrier’s best trading day since August 12, when ultra-budget rival Spirit issued its initial warning about its ability to survive. American’s shares are up more than 7% on Friday afternoon.

Investors’ optimism comes a day after American posted a better-than-expected full-year earnings forecast. In a call with investors, American said that it’s ramping up its premium cabin offerings.

“Our ability to grow capacity in premium markets will be further supported as we take delivery of new aircraft and reconfigure our existing fleet. These efforts will allow us to grow our premium seats at nearly two times the rate of main cabin seats,” CEO Robert Isom said. American CFO Devin May said that nose-to-tail retrofits of certain wide-body jets will bump the number of premium seats available on those planes by 25%.

Extra legroom has been a boon for major carriers, particularly this quarter. Delta Air Lines said its premium product revenue grew 9% in Q3, compared to a 4% drop in economy seat revenue. Similarly, United Airlines said its premium revenue grew 6%, outpacing economy. Shares of both airlines were up more than 3% on Friday.

Carriers with less exposure to first- and business-class tickets like Southwest Airlines and JetBlue didn’t see the same amount of momentum on the day.

Ford plant Cologne

Ford rallies to 52-week high: Wall Street is optimistic about its EV reset and aluminum plant recovery plan

Ford shares reached their highest level since July 2024 in Friday morning trading.

Latest Stories

Sherwood Media, LLC produces fresh and unique perspectives on topical financial news and is a fully owned subsidiary of Robinhood Markets, Inc., and any views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of any other Robinhood affiliate, including Robinhood Markets, Inc., Robinhood Financial LLC, Robinhood Securities, LLC, Robinhood Crypto, LLC, or Robinhood Money, LLC.