‘It’ll be something cool’: Elon Musk promises of moon buggies, humanoid robots after $1 trillion Tesla payday

Tesla CEO Elon Musk celebrated shareholder approval of his record-breaking $1 trillion compensation package with a flurry of ambitious promises, from humanoid robots performing surgery to building vehicles for missions to the Moon and Mars.The vote, which saw over 75% of investors back the deal, clears the path for Musk to expand his stake in Tesla to around 25% over the next decade and potentially become the world’s first trillionaire.

Humanoid robots, moon buggies, & new vision

Musk used the meeting to outline Tesla’s futuristic roadmap. He claimed the company’s humanoid robot, Optimus, would soon evolve from handing out candy to performing surgery “with beyond-human precision.”He also teased that both Optimus and Tesla’s vehicles could one day play a key role in establishing bases on the Moon and Mars. “It’ll be something cool — a next-level moon buggy or Mars buggy,” Musk told shareholders, Bloomberg reported.The billionaire added that Tesla aims to boost its car production by roughly 50% by the end of 2026, despite ongoing challenges in its automotive division, which is facing its second consecutive year of declining sales.“It’s not just a new chapter for Tesla, it’s a new book,” Musk declared during the company’s annual meeting in Austin, Texas.“That new book is about massively increasing vehicle production and ramping up Optimus production faster than anything in human history,” he added.

Pay package paves way to trillionaire status

The approval of Musk’s massive stock award cements his control over Tesla at a time when he had hinted he might divert more attention to other ventures if the deal failed. General Counsel Brandon Ehrhart announced that more than three-quarters of votes supported the package, prompting a standing ovation.The plan sets performance targets that could raise Tesla’s market value to $8.5 trillion, enough to make Musk’s total stake worth roughly $2.4 trillion, according to Bloomberg estimates. That figure would surpass the GDP of nearly every country except a handful of the largest economies.“There are significant hurdles,” noted Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities. “Musk now has to execute on the most important chapter in Tesla’s history, an autonomous and robotic future.”The compensation plan faced resistance from several institutional investors and proxy advisory firms, including Norway’s Norges Bank Investment Management and Glass Lewis, who cited its “unprecedented scale” and potential dilution of other shareholders.According to Bloomberg, critics also accused Tesla’s board of being overly deferential to Musk. New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli called the deal “pay for unchecked power, not pay for performance,” while Senator Bernie Sanders described it as “totally absurd.”

Musk’s vision: From chips to cybercabs

Musk acknowledged that Tesla’s growth will depend heavily on securing enough chips for its advanced technologies. He suggested that Tesla may build its own semiconductor facility to supplement existing supply from companies like Samsung and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.“Even in the best-case scenario, the chip supply from our partners won’t meet our needs,” Musk said. “So we may have to build a Tesla terafab — like giga, but way bigger” he added.He revealed that three new products are expected to enter production next year — the humanoid Optimus, the long-delayed Semi truck, and the steering-wheel-less Cybercab, Tesla’s autonomous ride-hailing vehicle.

Investor division over xAI investment

While shareholders largely supported Musk’s pay deal, they were split over another proposal — a potential investment in Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI. Ehrhart said that although more votes were cast in favor than against, there was “a significant number” of abstentions.The measure was advisory and non-binding, meaning Tesla is not required to follow through. Musk has previously suggested Tesla could inject up to $5 billion into xAI to accelerate development in AI and robotics integration.

A roller coaster ride

Musk’s wealth has seen major swings this year. It peaked around $450 billion in January when he appeared alongside President Donald Trump at his inauguration but fell sharply amid political controversies and consumer backlash. A feud with Trump over policy disagreements later sent Tesla shares tumbling.His fortune has since rebounded, buoyed by a recovery in Tesla stock and rising valuations for SpaceX and his AI venture xAI. As of this week, Musk’s net worth stood at around $460 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.Tesla’s shares slipped as much as 4.8% on Friday morning amid a broader market downturn, even as Musk vowed to “massively scale production and push the limits of human innovation.”