Musk's pay 2.5M times higher than average Tesla worker's
What's the story
A report by the AFL-CIO, America's largest labor union federation, has revealed that Elon Musk's compensation at Tesla in 2025 was an astounding 2.5 million times more than that of an average employee at the company. The tech billionaire received a whopping $158.3 billion from the electric vehicle manufacturer last year, making him a major outlier in the corporate world.
Executive compensation
Average CEO pay and pay gap in 2025
Excluding Musk, CEOs of major S&P 500 companies earned an average of $22.8 million in 2025, up from $18.9 million in the previous year.
The average CEO-to-worker pay ratio also rose to 312:1 from last year's 285:1.
However, when Musk's compensation is factored in, the average CEO pay skyrockets to $340.1 million and the average pay gap widens to a staggering 5,387:1.
Income disparity
Musk's earnings every 4.23 seconds
The AFL-CIO report further highlights the stark income disparity in corporate America.
In 2025, Musk made the equivalent of a median Tesla worker's annual salary every 4.23 seconds.
This means that most S&P 500 CEOs earned more in one day than what the median US worker earns in a year.
Financial challenges
Economic struggles of average Americans
The AFL-CIO report also sheds light on the economic challenges faced by many Americans.
It reveals that 33% of US adults have no retirement savings and 37% don't have enough money for a $400 emergency expense.
Further, about 26% said they skipped medical care due to costs, while 23% of US renters had fallen behind on rent in the past year.
Presidential earnings
Trump's income from cryptocurrency holdings
The report also examines US President Donald Trump's income in 2025, which stood at $2.2 billion, mostly from his cryptocurrency holdings. This is a nearly 254% increase from the previous year.
The AFL-CIO's secretary-treasurer Fred Redmond criticized these earnings as "political grift unlike what we have ever seen in our lifetimes."