Elon Musk's Big Ask: A Trillion Dollars for Robot Control

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, has made a bold request. He wants a massive pay package worth nearly a trillion dollars. In return, he promises to build a "robot army. " This army, however, does not exist yet. Musk expressed his concerns during a recent earnings call. He worries about losing control of Tesla if he invests in creating these robots. He asked shareholders to approve this huge pay package to ensure his continued influence. The proposed compensation is tied to specific goals. Musk needs to produce one million robotaxis and one million humanoid robots. He also aims to increase Tesla's valuation by trillions. Achieving these milestones would make Musk even richer. Musk's fears seem contradictory. He has threatened to leave Tesla if the pay package is not approved. Yet, he also worries about being ousted. This seems unlikely, given his past actions and the board's inaction. During the call, Musk downplayed the importance of money. He said the compensation is not about spending but about control. He wants to have a strong influence over the robot army, not necessarily full control. Musk's stance on AI has evolved. He once warned about the dangers of AI, comparing it to summoning a demon. Now, he is asking for more power to build advanced robots. Tesla's Optimus robots are far from being a threat. They struggled with simple tasks like handing out popcorn. Musk acknowledged the difficulty in creating a robot hand as dexterous as a human one. Musk made grand claims about Optimus. He said it will be Tesla's biggest product ever. He even mentioned the possibility of robot surgeons. He also predicted that Optimus will generate immense revenue. Tesla plans to unveil Optimus V3 next year. The fourth version will be mass-produced. Musk joked that the robot will be so realistic that people will need to poke it to believe it's a robot. Proxy-advisory firms ISS and Glass Lewis advise shareholders to oppose Musk's pay package. Musk has criticized these firms, calling them "corporate terrorists. " Despite this, shareholders are likely to approve the package.