--- title: "Elon Musk Throws Tantrum on Stage, Accuses Delaware Judge of Being an “Activist” in a Halloween Costume" description: "Elon Musk has developed a new approach to getting his obscene $56 billion Tesla pay package: insulting the judge who invalidated it. During a wide-ranging tele-appearance at Bloomberg's Qatar Economic Forum this week, the multi-hyphenate billionaire lambasted Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick, the Delaware judge who has twice invalidated the massive bonus. Responding to claims from the Wall Street Journal alleging that Tesla's board of directors has begun formally looking for a new CEO, Bloomberg anchor Joumanna Bercetche asked Musk if he felt confident seeing himself running Tesla in a few years. (Tesla board chair, Robyn Denholm, denied that reporting in a company tweet). […]" date: "2025-05-20" modified: "2025-05-20" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/elon-musk-delaware-judge-activist" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "billionaires" - "elon musk" - "investors" - "tesla" --- # Elon Musk Throws Tantrum on Stage, Accuses Delaware Judge of Being an “Activist” in a Halloween Costume ![Elon Musk has developed a new approach to getting his obscene $56 billion Tesla pay package: insulting the judge who invalidated it.]() *\Image: Jonathan Leibson / FilmMagic via Getty / Futurism\* Elon Musk has developed a new approach to getting his [obscene $56 billion]() Tesla pay package: insulting the judge who invalidated it. During a wide-ranging tele-appearance at [*Bloomberg*'s Qatar Economic Forum this week](), the multi-hyphenate billionaire lambasted Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick, the Delaware judge who has [twice invalidated]() the massive bonus. Responding to [claims from the *Wall Street Journal*]() alleging that Tesla's board of directors has begun formally looking for a new CEO — which were [promptly denied]() by Tesla board chair Robyn Denholm — *Bloomberg* anchor Joumanna Bercetche asked Musk if he felt confident seeing himself running Tesla in a few years. The multi-hyphenate billionaire insisted that he will, [short of his untimely death](), continue to helm Tesla and be paid accordingly. "The compensation should match that something incredible was done," he said. "I'm confident that whatever some activist posing as a judge in Delaware happens to do will not affect the future compensation." Musk went on to interrupt Bercetche when she attempted to clarify which judge he was talking about. "Not a judge, not a judge," he said while literally wagging his finger at the screen. "The activist cosplaying a judge in a Halloween costume." Though he didn’t expound on his definition of "activist," it’s easy to guess [based on past precedent]() what Musk meant: anyone who is critical of him, or who doesn’t do what he wants. That was not Musk’s final mention of "activism," either. While the crowd laughed uproariously at the stupid joke, Bercetche noted that that was Musk's own "characterization" of the scenario. Though he attempted again to interrupt her, the reporter launched ahead into her next question, asking Musk if he felt "relaxed" about his position and whether his pay package had any bearing on his commitment to leading Tesla. "Sufficient voting control such that I cannot be ousted by activist investors is what matters to me," the CEO countered, "and I've said this publicly many times." "Let's not have this whole thing be a discussion of my alleged pay," he continued. "It's not a money thing, it's a reasonable control thing over the future of the company, especially if we're building millions — potentially billions — of humanoid robots." Musk again raised the specter of "activism" when suggesting that his proposed compensation, which is currently being reviewed by an internal two-person committee that includes the board chair, will offer him security. "I can't be sitting there and waiting to get tossed out for political reasons by activists," he declared, eyes shifting about all the while. "That would be unacceptable." Yeah, he's clearly very "relaxed" about this whole thing. **More on Tesla's investors:** [*A Longtime Tesla Bull Dumped His Stock, Predicting a Total Collapse*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()