Tesla Investors Push for Nasdaq Probe Into Elon Musk’s $29B Stock Award

Tesla is once again at the center of controversy—this time over CEO Elon Musk’s massive compensation package. The SOC Investment Group, an activist investor group, is urging Nasdaq to investigate Tesla’s $29 billion “2025 CEO Interim Award” granted to Musk.  

The group argues that the award raises serious concerns about transparency and shareholder rights. One of the main criticisms is that Tesla shareholders were not given a clear opportunity to vote on the package. This, according to SOC, may represent a violation of established compensation and governance standards.  

Elon Musk is no stranger to high-profile compensation debates. In 2018, Tesla approved a record-breaking pay package tied to ambitious growth targets, which has since been both celebrated and criticized. The new $29 billion award, however, is being challenged as excessive and potentially unfair to investors who expect stronger oversight of executive rewards.  

Nasdaq has yet to formally comment on whether it will launch an investigation, but the pressure from activist investors underscores a growing movement to hold tech leaders accountable for corporate governance practices. With Tesla already facing intense scrutiny over production goals, market volatility, and competition from other EV makers, this legal and financial battle adds yet another layer of uncertainty to the company’s future.  

For Musk, the outcome could either cement his role as one of the most highly rewarded executives in history or trigger a backlash that reshapes how executive pay is handled in the tech and automotive industries.