With an estimated net worth of over $400 billion, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has certainly done well for himself over the years. But one of his most outspoken supporters believes he should be doing even better.
On August 22, Kimbal Musk, the younger brother of Elon, appeared on CNBC's "Squawk Box" to defend his brother amid an ongoing legal battle over the Tesla CEO's compensation. Kimbal suggested that Elon should be rightly compensated for the amount of work that he has done for the company. "I think my brother deserves to be paid," Kimbal said.
Elon's Tesla compensation is heavily performance-based, consisting of stock awards tied to financial and growth milestones, rather than an annual salary. Elon's compensation package from Tesla consists of an "interim" award of approximately 96 million shares, valued at around $29 billion. This was granted earlier in August after a Delaware court rejected his previous pay package in 2018 that would have netted Elon $56 billion.
Despite legal challenges and shareholder concerns, Elon and his legal team have insisted that his leadership has delivered significant value for the electric vehicle manufacturer, making his mind-boggling pay package a justified investment for the company.
According to Kimbal, this line of reasoning is exactly why Elon should be awarded his previously agreed-upon compensation package. "He has zero pay for the past six to eight years. I don't think that's right," Kimbal added. "I'll let Tesla shareholders make that decision, but I believe that it does need to be. He needs to be paid."
While Elon has certainly helped Tesla grow into the giant EV manufacturer it is today, a number of controversies surrounding the CEO have contributed to a down year for the company. Throughout 2025, Tesla has reported a significant decline in car sales in many key automotive markets across the globe.
With Tesla's struggles, many have questioned Elon's commitment to the car company, especially as his interest in AI technology continues to grow. Despite this, Kimbal reiterated that Elon remains focused on doing what's best for the company. "Tesla can't go without a deep, deep understanding of AI," explained Kimbal.
"As any advanced technology company, Nova, Tesla, and others, AI is built into everything that you do."
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