--- title: "While Pushing to Give Himself a Massive Bonus, Elon Musk Apologizes for Stiffing Laid-Off Employees" description: "Elon Musk had to apologize to some Tesla workers he fired for stiffing them with severance packages that \"are incorrectly low.\"" date: "2024-04-19" modified: "2024-04-19" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-bonus-apologizes" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # While Pushing to Give Himself a Massive Bonus, Elon Musk Apologizes for Stiffing Laid-Off Employees ![]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Fired and Stiffed Tesla CEO Elon Musk has become hellbent on gifting himself a previously thrown-out $56 billion pay package, with the company going as far as to [launch an entire website]() exclusively designed to convince other shareholders of the plan. That's despite Tesla facing some [very tough months ahead](), with the carmaker [laying off a whopping ten percent]() of its staff this week. Meanwhile, Musk had to apologize to those he fired for stiffing them with severance packages that "are incorrectly low," according to an internal email he sent to employees, as [quoted by *CNBC*](). "My apologies for this mistake," he added. "It is being corrected immediately." ## Severed Ties Musk is no stranger to shortchanging laid-off employees. Ex-Twitter executives, including former CEO Parag Agrawal, [filed a lawsuit against X-formerly-Twitter]() last month seeking over $128 million in unpaid severance. "Under Musk’s control, Twitter has become a scofflaw, stiffing employees, landlords, vendors, and others," a court filing reads. "Musk doesn’t pay his bills, believes the rules don’t apply to him, and uses his wealth and power to run roughshod over anyone who disagrees with him." The news also comes after [*Reuters* reported]() that the EV maker had given up on the Model 2, an affordable mass-market vehicle, [in favor of a "robotaxi."]() The revelation seems to have disappointed investors, with Tesla stock [tumbling below $150 per share]() today, wiping out much of the gains the company made in 2023. Tesla is down around 37 percent so far this year, scraping along the bottom as one of the [worst-performing companies]() on the S&P 500. In other words, screwing up the severance packages of employees you just fired while also leading an entire campaign to reinstate your $56 billion compensation plan is bound to leave a bad taste in investors' mouths. **More on Tesla:** *[Tesla Moves Employee Across Country, Then Fires Them]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()