Bloomberg Tech Tesla's Chair Says Only Musk Can Lead the Company
Sep 12, 2025
Robin Denholm, Chair of the Board at Tesla, emphasizes that only Elon Musk can steer the company as it evolves into AI and robotics. The discussion addresses Tesla's ambitious $1 trillion compensation plan for Musk, which ties to vital operational targets. There’s a dive into the regulatory scrutiny faced by tech giants like Amazon and Google over advertising practices, and how this landscape is changing. Denholm also highlights the critical importance of succession planning to maintain Tesla's innovative edge.
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Elon As Central To Tesla's AI Ambition
- Robin Denholm says Tesla sees AI and robotics as central to its next decade and views Elon Musk as uniquely capable of leading that shift.
- The board designed compensation to align Musk's incentives with ambitious operational and market-cap milestones.
Compensation Tied To Concrete Ambitions
- The proposed 2025 package mirrors Master Plan 4 with 12 tranches tied to market-cap and operational milestones up to $8.5 trillion.
- Milestones include 20 million vehicles, 10 million FSD subscriptions, and one million Optimus robots and robo-taxis.
Split Voting Rights From Economic Payouts
- The plan separates voting rights from economic benefits and delays economic payout to retain long-term focus.
- This bifurcation incentivizes performance while keeping leadership committed over a decade.