While Elon Musk retains his position as the richest man in the world, his astronomical compensation plan at Tesla is once again invalidated by American justice. A decision which adds to other disputes opposing the billionaire to technology giants, such as OpenAI.
Record remuneration in turmoil
Delaware Judge Kathaleen McCormick has once again rejected a controversial $55.8 billion compensation plan awarded to Elon Musk by Tesla. This amount, validated in 2018 by 72% of the car manufacturer's shareholders, had already been canceled last January. The magistrate then denounced a decision-making committee made up of relatives of the entrepreneur.
Tesla and Musk reiterated by submitting the same plan, without substantial modifications, to a new general meeting, an approach criticized by the judge. “ Tesla and Musk could have come up with a new fair plan “, she said, believing that this attempt reflected a questionable interpretation of Delaware law.
The billionaire reacted strongly to the decision, saying on X (formerly Twitter): “Shareholders should control corporate votes, not judges. » This affair weighs on Tesla, whose action fell by more than 1% after the announcement.
Elon Musk's unparalleled financial empire
At the same time, Elon Musk filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, an organization he co-founded in 2015 as a non-profit entity. The billionaire accuses Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, of having subverted the initial mission to transform the structure into a lucrative company, allied with the giant Microsoft. This complaint, filed jointly with its new startup xAI, also aims to prevent OpenAI from imposing financial restrictions on its investors, who could potentially fund competitors.
Musk believes he was “manipulated and deceived”, denouncing an alliance against his principles. This legal offensive reflects growing tensions in the artificial intelligence sector, where competition is intensifying.
Despite these controversies, Elon Musk's personal fortune is reaching new heights. According to the Bloomberg index, his assets amount to $353 billion, reinforcing his leading position in the ranking of the world's great fortunes. This amount far exceeds that of its pursuers, such as Jeff Bezos (231 billion) and Mark Zuckerberg (210 billion).
