Elon Musk says SpaceX wants to make it impossible to fire him
Elon Musk has confirmed that SpaceX is considering corporate restructuring that would make it virtually impossible to fire him. The new structure could also include a trillion-dollar compensation package linked to Musk’s Mars ambitions.
Image by David Swanson | Reuters
Elon Musk has confirmed that SpaceX is considering corporate restructuring that would make it virtually impossible to fire him. The new structure could also include a trillion-dollar compensation package linked to Musk’s Mars ambitions.
The package is designed to keep Musk at the company long-term and ensure SpaceX stays focused on its goals. Musk took it to X to explain why the structure is necessary.
“Yes, I need to make sure SpaceX stays focused on making life multiplanetary and extending consciousness to the stars, not pandering to someone’s bullshit quarterly earnings bonus!” Musk wrote in a post on X.
He added that succeeding “in this absurdly difficult goal” would be worth “many orders of magnitude more than the economy of Earth”.
Yes, I need to make sure SpaceX stays focused on making life multiplanetary and extending consciousness to the stars, not pandering to someone’s bullshit quarterly earnings bonus!
undefined Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 15, 2026
Obviously, IF SpaceX succeeds in this absurdly difficult goal, it will be worth many orders of…
The unprecedented deal, which is not tied solely to financial targets, was first reported by the Financial Times. It echoes Musk’s $158bn pay package with Tesla, but sets out slightly different goals.
Musk’s compensation would reportedly be tied to SpaceX reaching a $7.5 trillion valuation and achieving one of the most ambitious corporate targets ever set out – building a colony of one million people on Mars.
Additionally, Musk could see up to 60 million additional super-voting restricted shares if SpaceX reaches a $6.6 trillion valuation and builds a space-based network of data centres capable of delivering 100 terawatts of computing power, according to the Financial Times.
Under the restructured proposal, Musk would control a supermajority of “Class B” shares that carry 10 times more voting power than ordinary shares. He already owns at least 40% of SpaceX shares and more than 80% of the voting power.
Only Class B shareholders can remove him, but Musk controls the majority of the voting shares, so he would effectively “continue to control the election and removal” of directors as long as he keeps the stake.
The structure has reportedly not turned investors off, as SpaceX still has a near-monopoly on commercial rocket launches, accounting for over 80% of launches in 2025. It’s also considered a unique business, with more than 10,000 satellites in orbit and a huge revenue potential.
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