Tesla’s Shareholders Should Get to Decide Musk’s Compensation

The Delaware Chancery Court’s decision in January to nullify Elon Musk’s $55 billion compensation package leaves the CEO of Tesla Inc. without any compensation for six years. Even knowing that, Tesla is allowing its stockholders to ratify Musk’s 2018 pay package at its annual meeting on June 13.

Seeking such ratification isn’t just permitted under established Delaware law—it’s a sensible path forward. Shareholders should have say in decisions affecting their investment, including executive compensation. READ MORE

The Case Against Elon Musk’s $46 Billion Pay Deal

If this column had a vote, which it doesn’t, it would cast it against Elon Musk’s gargantuan pay deal at Tesla’s coming annual general meeting.

Worth $46 billion at the latest share price, the chief executive’s contested 2018 packet is disproportionate in every way. It is almost 300 times as much as what America’s best-paid CEO for 2023 earned ($162 million). It is also more than twice the annual free cash flows Tesla has generated in its entire existence, including expectations for this year ($22.5 billion). And, crucially for shareholders, who would pay for it through the dilution of their holdings, it is about 8% of the company’s market value ($557 billion). READ MORE

High-tech salaries continue to rise, break new ground

The average salary in the high-tech sector continues to soar according to data from the Central Bureau of Statistics, reaching a new record in March for the second month in a row at NIS 35,870 ($9,710), a 5.6% increase from NIS 33,964 ($9,194) in February. This marks a 19.1% increase compared to NIS 30,126 ($8,155) in January. Conversely, the average salary in the general economy experienced a predicted correction in April, dropping by 4.2% to NIS 13,493 ($3,652), after reaching an all-time high of NIS 14,709 ($3,981) in March. READ MORE

The highest paying AI jobs: $650k salaries

High paying jobs in artificial intelligence are all the rage these days, but roles offering $300k+ salaries are few and far between. An industry like financial services, which has reiterated its commitment to AI countless times, should be paying top dollar for talent, and yet is outshone by contemporaries across the tech sector. Among them all, however, who pays the most?

We've examined salary data from the H1B Visa Salary Database since the start of 2023.  It's worth noting that salary data is not wholly reflective of total compensation (it's only salary), and nor is the database wholly reflective of a global company's pay habits (it only applies to H1B visa recipients), but that it still provides some interesting insights. The two top payers, however, may not be too surprising. READ MORE

Advisory firms push Tesla investors to deny Musk 'excessive' $56bn pay packet

ISS, a leading proxy advisory firm, has become the second such company to advise Tesla investors to vote against a $56billion pay packet for CEO Elon Musk.

The advisory firm joins Glass Lewis, its major competitor, in calling for shareholders to veto the package, describing it as ‘excessive.’

The eye-watering compensation plan would be the biggest for any CEO in corporate America. READ MORE

Evaluating Executive Compensation in the Age of Activism

Several high-profile activist campaigns over the last few years have kept shareholder activism top of mind for board members. Individual activist investors and campaigns vary in nature — from constructive, low-profile dialogue to less cooperative and more combative approaches. Understanding how these influential external groups view executive compensation can help boards rethink the narrative around executive pay in the event of future activist involvement. While compensation design and outcomes are generally not the primary driver of activist campaigns, executive pay often serves as a means for activist shareholders to highlight perceived mismanagement or misalignment with shareholder interests in key areas. READ MORE

ESG-related compensation: What separate high-performing firms from the rest?

Six in 10 (60 per cent) companies around the world now apply environmental, social and governance (ESG) targets to share-based employee compensation – but most employers remain short-sighted, finds a new report.

Over eight in 10 (84 per cent) say they apply them to the management board.

The same percentage of companies tying pay to ESG targets was also reported in a previous study.  READ MORE

CEO’s Compensation Packages Surge by Nearly 13%

Chief executives of S&P 500 companies saw their compensation packages surge by nearly 13% last year, significantly outpacing the wage increases of average workers amid rising inflation. According to data analyzed by Equilar for The Associated Press, the median CEO pay package rose to $16.3 million, marking a 12.6% increase. In contrast, private-sector workers’ wages and benefits grew by just 4.1% in 2023. At half of the companies surveyed, a median employee would need almost 200 years to match what their CEO earned in one year. READ MORE

Elon Musk’s compensation package case will haunt Tesla for years

I believe that Elon Musk’s compensation package will haunt Tesla for years as lawsuits are already piling up.

Everyone is pointing fingers at who they think is responsible for this situation. Here’s my take.

We are less than two weeks away from Tesla’s annual shareholders meeting during which we will know the results of the shareholder vote on Musk’s compensation package and incorporation move to Texas. READ MORE

3 Entry-Level Remote Jobs That Pay $100,000+ In 2024

The class of 2024 is waking up from graduation to realize they are in a financial black hole.

"The cost of college has steadily increased over the last 30 years," notes recent Forbes research into student loan debt statistics. "In that timeframe, tuition costs at public four-year colleges grew from $4,160 to $10,740 and from $19,360 to $38,070 at private non-profit institutions (adjusted for inflation). As costs have risen, so has the need for student loans and other forms of financial aid." READ MORE

Tesla stands by Musk pay after ISS urges shareholders to reject package

Tesla on Monday defended a proposal to ratify CEO Elon Musk's $56 billion pay package and said a new compensation would be costlier, days after a top proxy advisory firm recommended shareholders to vote against the proposal.

The electric-vehicle maker argued that his pay package - one of the biggest in corporate America - motivated Musk to create "tremendous value" for shareholders. READ MORE

10 Best Tech Jobs by Salary Growth in 2024

For years, jobs in the tech industry have served as lucrative career choices, and 2024’s offerings are no different.

Despite widespread layoffs recently, there is still a lot of demand, according to Splunk. The thriving nature of the industry means that those looking for new positions, whatever the reason, have a good chance of finding one within a few months. We’ve gathered the best based on their average salaries and growth potential. You might find something that fits your skill set well. READ MORE

Banking Agencies Re-Propose Rules on Incentive-Based Compensation

On May 6, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC), Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), and Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking addressing incentive-based compensation arrangements (the Proposed Rule). The Proposed Rule is designed to implement Section 956 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank). It is a re-proposal of the joint proposed rule issued in 2016 with the identical text, which is summarized in this article. However, the Proposed Rule has a new preamble and a request for comments, seeking feedback on several alternative provisions that could be included in a final rule. READ MORE

CEOs made nearly 200 times what their workers got paid last year

The typical compensation package for chief executives who run companies in the S&P 500 jumped nearly 13% last year, easily surpassing the gains for workers at a time when inflation was putting considerable pressure on Americans’ budgets.

The median pay package for CEOs rose to $16.3 million, up 12.6%, according to data analyzed for The Associated Press by Equilar. Meanwhile, wages and benefits netted by private-sector workers rose 4.1% through 2023. At half the companies in this year’s pay survey, it would take the worker at the middle of the company’s pay scale almost 200 years to make what their CEO did. READ MORE

Tesla reassures judge that move to Texas won’t affect Elon’s compensation case

Tesla has successfully reassured a Delaware judge that its attempted incorporation move to Texas won’t affect Elon Musk’s CEO compensation case.

In a new letter, Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick, the judge who canceled Elon Musk’s $55 billion compensation package after she concluded Tesla’s board misled investors, said that Tesla’s lawyers reassured her that the company won’t use its new shareholder vote on the compensation and incorporation move to Texas to circumvent the case. READ MORE