Unlike most CEOs, Elon was entitled to receive NO salary, NO cash bonuses, and NO equity that would vest simply by the passage of time. Instead, he was asked to deliver the type of exponential value creation most thought was impossible – or get nothing.

Elon was also required to hold any shares awarded through stock options for five years after the option was exercised, meaning that he was not only incentivized to achieve remarkable results at the time to earn his compensation, but to also continue to drive growth for five more years.