Tesla pays Musk 2.5 million times more than average worker, even as profits drop

A new labor union report found Tesla CEO Elon Musk was paid roughly 2.5 million times more than the average Tesla worker in 2025, the largest pay gap of any CEO tracked in the AFL-CIO's annual survey of S&P 500 companies. Musk's compensation package for the year was valued at $158 billion, more money than Tesla's entire 2025 revenue of $94 billion, and more than the company has earned in total profit over its whole history. Typical CEO pay ratios at large companies run around 300 times the average worker's pay; with Musk excluded, the 2025 average was 312:1, but including him it jumped to 5,387:1.

This is a story about executive pay and corporate governance at Tesla, not about home energy programs, rebates, or products. It has no direct bearing on solar panels, heat pumps, weatherization, or any incentive program a homeowner might be using or considering.

For readers who own Tesla products, such as solar panels, Powerwalls, or EVs, the report doesn't affect how those products work or any rebates tied to them. It's simply a snapshot of Tesla's finances and leadership pay in a year when the company's profits fell sharply. There is no action or decision this news calls for from a homeowner.