Ivonne, yes, it does seem an obscene amount but I guess if the markets allow it, it's good management on Musk's part. Apparently, Tesla have never paid a dividend with all earnings reinvested in the business. That seems to have paid off in terms of share price and I'd have thought that would have kept other investors happy - apparently not as otherwise there wouldn't be a court case. (Didn't Bill Gates have the same strategy for MS in its early days, although I believe he didn't keep all the shares to himself: I was told MS salaries weren't great but you got shares and you could put MS on your CV which helped job hunting elsewhere. )Of course, it's all wealth on the paper until the shares are sold, and trading, general market and sector confidence can affect the shares' value. So I'm also sure Musk agrees with Mr Trump's plans for 25% tariffs for cheap Chinese EV imports, and I bet he loves the AfD's plans to cut regulations constraining Tesla's manufacturing plants in Germany; I doubt he understands German politics, or cares, it's just about Tesla's bottom lines.
I guess it's not all about the money but his ego; he can build the biggest rockets, the largest satellite network, the smartest cars, etc - and afford to father the most children with weird names :-)
Michael Ixer ● 122d