Elon Musk Confirms Receiving Zero Pay as Tesla CEO for 7 Years
- Elon Musk returned to his businesses after exiting the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in June 2025
- Musk is expected to get a new pay package from Tesla following a review of his previous payment
- The American billionaire confirmed that he was previously paid zero dollars as Tesla's CEO for over seven years
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Wycliffe Musalia has over six years of experience in financial, business, technology, climate, and health reporting, providing deep insights into Kenyan and global economic trends. He currently works as a business editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Elon Musk has left his government role at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Source: Getty Images
The American billionaire announced his exit from the Trump administration after the end of the 130-day role assigned in January 2025.
Musk said he will go back to managing his businesses, which suffered a loss following his affiliation with Trump's policies.
How much will Musk earn as Tesla CEO?
According to the Wall Street Journal, Musk returned to Tesla and demanded a bigger stake from the board compared to his previous salary.
The report showed that the Tesla CEO was the least paid in 2024 compared to other top executives.
Musk confirmed that Tesla paid him the least amount of $0 (zero US dollars) for seven years despite having grown its value by 2000%.
"Zero for seven years, despite increasing the value of the company," Musk wrote on his X account.
Source: UGC
How much does world's top CEO earn?
Tesla's board threw away Musk's previous $56 billion (KSh 7.2 trillion) package following a court ruling and is in a race to formulate a new one.
Business Standard reported that Tesla established a special committee to devise a potential new compensation structure for Musk.
Musk's new pay could range somewhere around the world's highest-paid CEO in 2024, the report noted.
In 2024, the top-paid CEO earned $165 million (KSh 21.3 billion, based on the current exchange rate).
Elon Musk net worth
Meanwhile, Musk's net worth also dropped significantly in March 2025, following his role at the Department of Government Efficiency.
Tesla vehicles were set on fire during the period as shares in the company plummeted following the move.
However, Forbes reported a fresh surge in Musk's wealth starting May 2025, following growth in Tesla shares.
Musk's net worth is estimated at $415.7 billion (KSh 53.7 trillion), backed with shares from Tesla, other companies owned by the billionaire, including SpaceX and AI venture xAI, and the X platform.
What to know about Elon Musk businesses
- The world's richest man launched XChat, a messaging app that comes with encryption features and disappearing messages and rivals WhatsApp, Messenger, and Snapchat.
- Musk amassed his wealth from innovation and entrepreneurship, which earned him a self-made score of eight (8) on Forbes, and also founded several companies.
- The companies Musk founded and sold include PayPal, OpenAI, Zip2, and SolarCity, which he sold but are now thriving.
Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
