SpaceX has approved an extraordinary compensation plan for Elon Musk, tying his rewards to goals that sound more like science fiction than corporate milestones — building a permanent human colony on Mars and running massive data centers in space.
According to filings reviewed by Reuters, Musk could receive hundreds of millions of super-voting shares if SpaceX reaches a $7.5 trillion valuation and successfully establishes a self-sustaining Mars colony of at least one million people. Additional rewards are tied to deploying space-based data centers capable of delivering 100 terawatts of computing power.
The structure is extreme: if these targets aren’t met, Musk gets nothing. There’s no fixed timeline — only continued involvement in the company. Since 2019, he has taken a nominal salary of just $54,080.
The package stands out even among top CEOs. Experts say it’s one of the only compensation structures built around non-financial, civilization-level goals rather than traditional metrics like revenue or profit.
It also highlights a growing tension: both SpaceX and Tesla are effectively competing for Musk’s attention, each offering massive incentives to keep him focused.
With SpaceX reportedly targeting an IPO near Musk’s birthday, the plan also signals to investors just how ambitious — and unconventional — the company’s long-term vision really is.