As Tesla shareholders prepare to vote on whether to grant CEO Elon Musk a pay package valued at nearly $1 trillion, the billionaire argued that this proposal isn’t actually about the money at all—but rather about maintaining control over the electric vehicle maker.

In an Oct. 22 earnings call, Musk and Tesla’s CFO, Vaibhav Taneja, said they didn’t want to refer to the proposed pay package as “compensation” at all. Instead, Musk said he was concerned with “how much voting control I have in Tesla,” particularly given the company’s goal of building an “enormous robot army.”

The package Musk referenced would award him additional shares if he meets certain Tesla benchmarks over the span of a decade, including delivering 1 million robots, and having 1 million robotaxis in commercial operation. Should he meet the milestones Tesla’s board has set, Musk could gain a 25% stake in the company, and in turn increase his voting power.

While the official vote is on Nov. 5, at least one major Tesla investor—Norway’s sovereign wealth fund—has said it will vote against the proposal.

In recent years, Musk has sought to pivot Tesla away from selling electric vehicles in favor of self-driving cars and a humanoid robot the company calls Optimus. On the call, the CEO claimed he wouldn’t spend the money if he received the proposed award, but said he wanted “a strong influence over that robot army” if he built it. “That’s what it comes down to in a nutshell. Like I don’t feel comfortable building that robot army if I don’t have at least a strong influence,” he added.

For more on the pay package, and its broader implications, keep reading here.—CV

Temp check!

Every once and a while we check the thermometer in the HR tech space and look back on the technology, tools, and programs people pros are turning to that help to ease the burdens of their functions and deliver for their teams and employees.

As part of our Coworking series, we asked HR pros about the tech and tools that have made their lives easier.

AI is enjoying its moment. News headlines touch on AI daily. It’s mentioned in what feels like every meeting. If you haven’t asked ChatGPT to write you a poem about the Baltimore Ravens in the style of Edgar Allen Poe, where have you been for the last two to three years (and do you have room for one more!?)? AI is much more than Ask Jeeves in final boss form—it seems to be changing the way HR pros do their jobs and support the business.

For more on the tech HR pros are loving right now, keep reading here.—AD

New data from the AICPA suggests it may be a few years before the supply of new accounting graduates catches up with the demand.

Public accounting firms express a great desire to hire accounting grads, according to the AICPA’s biannual Trends Report, which tracks enrollment and graduation rates as well as hiring trends in accounting. Three-quarters of the firms surveyed that hired in 2024 said they planned to hire the same (47%) or more (28%) staff this year. And 75% of those firms’ new hires held accounting degrees.

The AICPA wasn’t able to estimate the total number of new grad hires last year with confidence due to “a low response rate by firms,” it said in a press release.

Firms may struggle to meet their hiring goals.

For more on the accounting talent shortage, keep reading on CFO Brew.—CV

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