Part 7/10:
Addressing the Critics
The critics’ narrative often revolves around the misconception that Musk has already received immense cash payouts. Musk clarified that:
No cash payment has been made.
The awards are contingent stock options—a performance-based incentive that only triggers when Tesla hits specific milestones.
The entire framework is a performance reward, not a paycheck, aligning his fortunes with Tesla’s success.
He further ridiculed the suggestion that Musk could manipulate the system by purchasing vast numbers of Teslas to meet targets, considering such scenarios impractical and nonsensical.