--- title: "New Study Blames Tesla's (TSLA) Elon Musk for Inflating CEO Pay" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/295836649.md" description: "A study by the AFL-CIO attributes a 21% rise in S&P 500 CEO compensation to $22.8 million, citing Elon Musk's potential $1 trillion Tesla pay package as a benchmark for excessive executive pay. This trend is exemplified by high payouts at Goldman Sachs and Welltower, contrasting sharply with the average U.S. worker's annual wage of $69,770." datetime: "2026-08-13T19:24:38.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/295836649.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/295836649.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/295836649.md) generator: "portal-rs" --- # New Study Blames Tesla's (TSLA) Elon Musk for Inflating CEO Pay A new study blames Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk's exorbitant $1 trillion pay package for opening the door to a new era of excessive compensation among leaders of other S&P 500 companies. ### Claim 55% Off TipRanks High conviction on SPCX? Try Tradr's SPCM or SPCG The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL/CIO) says that the average compensation for chief executives of the S&P 500 companies has risen 21% to $22.8 million, a situation that has been exacerbated since Musk secured an incentive-laden compensation deal at Tesla worth as much as $1 trillion if he hits multiple targets in coming years. The pay package of Elon Musk "changes the dynamic when other CEO compensation plans come up, boards use it as a reference," said Fred Redmond, the AFL-CIO's secretary-treasurer, in an interview with the Reuters (TRI) news agency. Musk's net worth surpassed $1 trillion earlier this year following the initial public offering (IPO) of his other company SpaceX (SPCX). ## **Swelling Pay Packages for CEOs** The AFL/CIO notes that Wall Street investment bank Goldman Sachs (GS) paid CEO David Solomon $118.9 million last year, including a retention award. And real estate investment trust Welltower (WELL) paid CEO Shankh Mitra $821 million, meant to include most of his pay over the coming decade. However, only 19% of shareholders cast votes in support of the pay package for the Welltower CEO. The AFL/CIO notes that the mean annual wage for all U.S. workers is at $69,770, a fraction of the pay earned by most CEOs who are leading S&P 500-listed companies. ### Related Stocks - [GS-A.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/GS-A.US.md) - [TSL.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSL.US.md) - [GS.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/GS.US.md) - [TSLA.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLA.US.md) - [GS-C.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/GS-C.US.md) - [WELL.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/WELL.US.md) - [TSDD.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSDD.US.md) - [TSLG.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLG.US.md) - [TESL.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TESL.US.md) - [TSLR.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLR.US.md) - [TSLI.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLI.US.md) - [TSLT.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLT.US.md) - [TSLS.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLS.US.md) - [TSLQ.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLQ.US.md) - [TSLL.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLL.US.md) - [TSLZ.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLZ.US.md) - [TSLO.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLO.US.md) - [TSLW.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLW.US.md) - [TSLY.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLY.US.md) - [TSYY.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSYY.US.md) - [TYYY.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TYYY.US.md) - [CRSH.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/CRSH.US.md) - [TSLP.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLP.US.md) - [MAGX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/MAGX.US.md) - [07766.HK](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/07766.HK.md) - [09366.HK](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/09366.HK.md) - [.SPX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/.SPX.US.md) - [SPCM.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SPCM.US.md) - [SPCG.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SPCG.US.md) - [TRI.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TRI.US.md) - [SPCX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SPCX.US.md) - [W4VR.SG](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/W4VR.SG.md) ## Related News & Research - [Tesla Is Finally Getting Ready to Demo a Flying Roadster. It May Not Stop the Sell-Off in TSLA Stock.](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296139457.md) - [Tesla confirms Cybercab launch coming next week](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296814914.md) - [Marshall Financial Group LLC Boosts Holdings in Tesla, Inc. $TSLA](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296461028.md) - [Tesla Robotaxi gets a massive upgrade in Nevada](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296571868.md) - [Tesla reveals plans for Robotaxi charging hub in Austin](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296260401.md) --- > **Disclaimer: This article is for reference only and does not constitute any investment advice.**