Elon Musk's unprecedented wealth is in large part tied up in Tesla, the electric vehicle manufacturer he has positioned at the center of his sprawling business empire. But Musk's dependence on Tesla as his primary earnings engine is something of a two-way street, particularly as the car company scrambles to hold its mercurial CEO's attention amid sliding sales, a slumping reputation, and increased market competition.

In a Securities and Exchange Commission filing this week, Tesla's two-person Special Committee of the Board of Directors announced plans to award Musk millions of shares of company stock — estimated to be worth up to $30 billion — because, the committee claimed, he has "not received meaningful compensation" at the company for years. "Retaining" Musk at Tesla, the committee sa

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