Tesla’s Board Wants To Give Elon $1 Trillion — While The World Is Laying Off Thousands.
What actually motivates a billionaire?
What actually motivates a billionaire?
TLDR:
Tesla’s board wants to give Elon $1 trillion over ten years to stay “motivated”
That’s more than the GDP of Switzerland or Saudi Arabia
Meanwhile, companies are laying off thousands this month alone
Here’s a fun fact for you.
If you spent $10,000 a month, it would take you 8.3 million years to spend $1 trillion.
Yet somehow, Tesla’s board thinks Elon Musk needs this amount to stay motivated.
I’m not even sure if Elon asked for this. Or whether his board just thought, “Hey, let’s throw a trillion at him.” Either way, they wouldn’t consider it if he was motivated differently.
The Trillion Dollar Question
Let me put this in perspective. $1 trillion is larger than Switzerland’s entire GDP. It’s more than Saudi Arabia’s economy. It’s bigger than the economies of entire nations with millions of people.
But apparently, that’s what it takes to keep one person interested in running a car company.
The package is spread over ten years. That’s $100 billion a year. Per year. Let that sink in.
Meanwhile, this month alone? Layoffs everywhere. Tech companies cutting thousands of jobs. People losing their livelihoods while boards discuss trillion-dollar packages. The contrast is jarring.
When Billionaires Work Without the Money Motivation
Here’s what confuses me.
Warren Buffett is 95 years old. Still working. Still investing. Still showing up to the office. You think money motivates him at this point? The guy has more than he could spend in ten lifetimes. He’s probably doing it because he actually cares about the work.
Steve Jobs famously took a $1 salary at Apple. Yeah, he had stock options. But money wasn’t his driving force. He wanted to make a dent in the universe. He cared about the product. About the innovation. About changing how people interact with technology.
These guys prove that at a certain level, money stops being the motivator.
So what changed?
What Actually Drives Success?
When did we decide that the only way to motivate someone is with amounts so large they become meaningless?
Elon’s current net worth is around $500 billion. Adding another trillion doesn’t change his life. He’ll still be the richest person on the planet. Still be influential. Still have the resources to build whatever companies he wants. Still have the power to shape industries.
It just makes the number bigger.
And while that number grows, thousands are getting laid off. Companies are cutting costs. People are struggling to make ends meet.
The disconnect is massive. We’re living in a world where one person needs a trillion dollars to stay motivated, while millions are worried about their next paycheck.
Something feels off here, doesn’t it?