Tesla Boss Elon Musk Earned $99,744,920 Last Year

Musk is brash, arrogant, brilliant, and his Tesla Model S is one of our favorite all-time cars: fast, ludicrous, simple, risky, sort of sexy and sound enough to have forever altered the history and future of the automotive industry and, perhaps, the fate of human civilization.

Think I'm overstating the impact of Elon Musk? Consider this: last year, he made $99,744,920 in salary and bonuses, according to Bloomberg. That breaks down to $45,000 in salary, which is enough to buy a one Model 3, when it hits the stands, and about a half of a Model S. On top of that, he earned $99,698,984 in stock options, which isn't a bad thing, since the price of Tesla stock has had such a killer year the brand value of his car company surpassed Ford's and, for a time, General Motors.

We don't begrudge Musk the money. nor do we begrudge him a little personal succor (he's apparently quite happy with the comely Amber Heard). He's also a hard worker, and SpaceX's race to Mars is one of the single most interesting and ambitious projects underway anywhere, by anyone, ever. Hats off, Musk. Go out and buy something nice for yourself.