The pay gap between Tesla's CEO and its typical worker has reached an astronomical level, according to new data from the AFL-CIO.
In 2025, Elon Musk's compensation was $158.36 billion, while the median Tesla employee earned $57,243.
That translates to a CEO-to-worker pay ratio of 2,522,203 to one, meaning the average worker would need to work for over 2.5 million years to match Musk's earnings.
Comparing with Other Automakers
Ford's CEO Jim Farley earned 295 times his median worker's pay, while General Motors' Mary Barra received 333 times her median employee's salary.
Rivian's RJ Scaringe had a ratio of 102 to one, with a median worker pay of $145,582.
Even Opendoor Technologies, which has a high ratio of 7,581 to one, is dwarfed by Tesla's figure, which is over 330 times larger.
Musk's compensation is largely performance-based, tied to shareholder-approved milestones that could lead to a trillion-dollar payout if achieved.
The AFL-CIO notes that CEO pay figures may differ from company-reported ratios due to varying calculation methods.
