Elon Musk’s Political Motivations Are ‘Up to Him,’ Tesla Chair Says

Tesla has proposed a $1 trillion incentive package for Musk.

Elon Musk listens as then President-elect Donald Trump addresses a House Republicans Conference meeting at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill in Washington on Nov. 13, 2024. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Elon Musk’s political leanings and involvements are his personal decisions, with Tesla taking into consideration only his performance at the company, Tesla Inc. Board Chair Robyn Denholm said in a Sept. 12 interview with Bloomberg Tech.

“We’re in a democracy. So everybody gets to voice their points of view. I think Elon, having served as a special government employee, he, obviously, completed that activity, and he is back and front and center at the company these days,” she said.

“What he does from a personal perspective in terms of his political motivations, etc., is up to him ... from our perspective as a board, we’re measuring him on results and measuring him on what he does as a CEO of Tesla. And our view is, he’s delivered big-time in the past, and we look forward to him doing that in the next era.”

The billionaire’s involvement with the Trump administration had triggered public backlash against Tesla among a segment of the public.

Musk had led the charge at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) after the new administration assumed power earlier this year.

Under his tenure, DOGE pushed forward federal spending cuts and mass layoffs of government employees, which was followed by the “Tesla Takedown” movement, a series of scattered demonstrations. In late March, the movement launched a coordinated effort, targeting all of Tesla’s 277 showrooms and service centers in the nation.

Some of the protests turned violent. In Las Vegas; Salem, Oregon; and Rome, Michigan, there were instances of Tesla vehicles being vandalized, charging stations being set on fire, and anti-Musk slogans being spray-painted on buildings.

Musk left DOGE in May after his 130-day mandate as a special government employee expired.

Musk has had an on-and-off relationship with President Donald Trump. Since exiting from DOGE, he has publicly criticized Trump for supporting the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, claiming that there would be significant increases to the federal deficit because of the bill.

Denholm’s latest comments come as Tesla has proposed an incentive of $1 trillion to Musk, which was revealed in a regulatory filing by Tesla with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Musk has to meet certain milestones to secure it, including raising Tesla’s market cap to $8.5 trillion over the next decade, achieving 20 million automobile deliveries, manufacturing 1 million AI Optimus robots, and deploying 1 million robotaxis in commercial operation. As of Sept. 12, Tesla had a market cap of $1.24 trillion.

A similar proposal had earlier been made to Musk. Back in 2018, Tesla promised Musk a pay package of $56 billion if he achieved certain milestones, such as raising the company’s market cap from $50 billion to $650 billion.

However, a Delaware judge voided the package in January 2024. Tesla shareholders then voted to reinstate it in June 2024. In August, the Tesla board granted Musk $29 billion in new equity.

Tesla’s Master Plan

Tesla unveiled its “Master Plan Part IV” on Sept. 2, positioning self-driving tech, humanoid robots, and AI as the future of the company.

Tesla’s vision involves self-driving cars reducing pollution and improving safety, humanoid robots doing dangerous and boring jobs, and the company implementing large-scale solar power generation.

In a Sept. 2 X post, Musk said Tesla’s Optimus robot would eventually make up 80 percent of the company’s value.

Optimus is being developed as a “general purpose, bi-pedal, autonomous humanoid robot capable of performing unsafe, repetitive, or boring tasks,” according to the Tesla website. “Achieving that end goal requires building the software stacks that enable balance, navigation, perception, and interaction with the physical world.”

On Sept. 12, Tesla shares closed at $395.94, up slightly from $390.10 at the beginning of the year.

As for Musk, he continues to be the world’s richest man, according to the latest data from Forbes, which calculated his net worth at about $463 billion as of Sept. 14.