Reuters cited confidential company documents reporting that SpaceX has approved a plan linking the stock compensation of its founder and CEO Elon Musk to establishing a colony on Mars and operating large-scale data centers in space.
According to a report released Tuesday, under this ambitious plan, Musk could be granted up to 200 million super-voting shares if the company’s valuation reaches $750 billion and helps establish a permanent human settlement on Mars with at least one million residents.
An additional incentive involves developing space-based computing infrastructure capable of delivering at least 100 trillion watts of processing power—roughly equivalent to the combined processing capacity of 100,000 one-gigawatt nuclear reactors operating simultaneously.
This framework means Musk will receive no stock unless these goals are achieved, and there are no fixed deadlines for these objectives as long as he remains with the company. Since founding SpaceX in 2002, Musk is currently considered the richest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of around $80 billion. Since 2019, he has taken only a nominal salary of about $54,000 per year while holding millions of stock options.
It was reported that SpaceX is preparing for a major initial public offering (IPO) in June, with a potential valuation of approximately $175 billion.
Corporate governance experts say such an arrangement may raise investor concerns, particularly given that Musk leads multiple companies—including electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla—where his compensation is also tied to performance targets. Analysts note the plan could intensify scrutiny over how he allocates his time and attention across competing ventures.
Last week, a investigative report by The New York Times revealed that SpaceX had provided Musk with loans, including those secured against his personal assets. The newspaper stated that Musk borrowed approximately $500 million from SpaceX between 2018 and 2020 at interest rates below market levels, using SpaceX as a funding source for his other enterprises such as Tesla and his solar energy companies.
The New York Times described this arrangement as effectively turning the aerospace company into a “piggy bank” for Musk’s broader business empire and said that as SpaceX prepares for its IPO, he may face increased scrutiny from Wall Street.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1863790000693507/
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