Elon Musk's Trillion-Dollar Tesla Plan Ignites Controversy and Protests

Elon Musk BioSnap a weekly updated Biography.

Elon Musk has dominated tech headlines yet again, this time with a historic splash: on September 5, Tesla’s board unveiled a long-term compensation plan that could see Musk pocket a staggering one trillion dollars if he achieves a set of extraordinary goals by 2035, according to Fortune and the Los Angeles Times. These targets—ranging from boosting Tesla’s market cap from $2 trillion to an unprecedented $8.5 trillion, to deploying one million robotaxis and selling ten million FSD subscriptions—are considered so aggressive that even Wall Street analysts have dubbed the package “Fantasyland.” If approved, Musk would not just break records; he could become the world’s first trillionaire, but the challenges are enormous, especially given Tesla’s recent stock slump, significant profit decline, and major sales drops in Europe, reportedly linked to Musk’s political alliances and outspoken support for President Trump.

Public exposure hasn’t slowed: while Tesla shares rose 5 percent after news of the plan broke, Musk stayed busy both in the lab and online. Video recaps on YouTube—like Jacob Hilton’s tracker series—detail Musk’s social media activity over the past 48 hours, with notable posts about Neuralink, xAI, Tesla’s Optimus robot, and a newly deployed matte-black Optimus working at a Tesla-owned diner. Musk’s political commentary remains a storm front, with sixteen posts crossing topics from government policy to global conflicts, fueling both controversy and ardent support on X, formerly Twitter.

The political tension reached a visible peak this week when President Trump hosted Silicon Valley’s elite for a White House tech dinner—an event Musk skipped despite being invited, as reported by CBS News and the Los Angeles Times. Sources indicate Musk’s absence stems from an ongoing feud with Trump after Musk’s brief stint in a government cost-cutting effort, though Musk insisted on social media it was simply a scheduling issue. The dinner drew Apple’s Tim Cook, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Microsoft’s Bill Gates, and Google’s Sundar Pichai, solidifying Musk’s unique outsider-insider status in the tech world.

Meanwhile, activist groups staged coordinated protests at Tesla locations nationwide on September 6, taking aim both at Musk’s increasing political clout and his controversial statements. Events branded as “Tesla Takedown” and protests denouncing a so-called “fascist government takeover” were staged in cities from Boston to Santa Monica, underscoring how Musk’s fortunes, ambitions, and persona have kept him at the heart of global debate—one headline or tweet at a time.

Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta