finance
SpaceX Files to Go Public With New Musk Pay Package Tied to Mars Colony
SpaceX disclosed a compensation plan that could award Elon Musk nearly one billion additional shares if the company reaches several valuation milestones and establishes a permanent human colony on Mars. Tesla separately outlined a package that could give Musk more than 423 million shares if the company hits a dozen operational targets by 2035.
May 22, 11:05 AM·2m read2 sources
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SpaceX filed documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday that detail a compensation package for CEO Elon Musk. The plan would award nearly one billion additional shares if the company meets several market valuation milestones and establishes a permanent human colony on Mars with at least one million inhabitants.
SpaceX also said it would award about 302 million shares if the company develops non-Earth-based data centers capable of delivering 100 terawatts of compute each year. That amount of power is roughly 29 times the electricity generated globally in 2023.
The filing shows SpaceX must reach multiple valuation targets before the shares vest. Forbes estimates Musk’s current stake in SpaceX at nearly 40 percent. 5 trillion, his equity would be worth about $600 billion. 6 trillion if SpaceX reaches a $2 trillion valuation, according to the same estimates. 8 billion as of Friday.
Tesla separately outlined a compensation plan that could award Musk more than 423 million shares. The package would increase his ownership stake from 13 percent to about 25 percent if the company achieves one dozen operational milestones through 2035.
5 trillion and $400 billion in core profits for the full award. Those targets represent increases of about 436 percent and more than 2,600 percent from current levels. The full stock award would vest after the company delivers one million Optimus robots, maintains one million active robotaxis for three consecutive months, and has 10 million active autonomous cars with Full Self-Driving subscriptions.
Tesla said some shares would be awarded if the company delivers 20 million cars by 2035. 1 million vehicles per year over the next decade. Musk has publicly stated goals for both companies that include establishing a colony on Mars and delivering millions of AI-powered robots.
He has described the Optimus robots as potentially larger than cell phones and capable of eliminating poverty. ’" — Forbes, May 22, 2026 Musk controls 85 percent of SpaceX’s voting power, which limits shareholders’ ability to oppose his Mars-related plans, according to University of Florida finance professor Jay Ritter.
