Elon Musk set to make more money than 1.4 million US elementary teachers combined. X erupts in frenzy

The scale of the pay package — and its contrast with essential professions — triggered widespread social media commentary.

The compensation package approved by shareholders of Tesla, Inc. for Elon Musk could see him awarded up to US $1 trillion in stock over the next decade, equating to approximately $100 billion per year on average.

According to an interactive tool developed by the The Washington Post, Musk’s annual pay at that rate would surpass the combined salaries of around 1.4 million US elementary-school teachers. The article stated that Musk would earn about $3 billion more per year than all these teachers together.

Moreover, the Washington Post comparison showed Musk’s annual incomewould match or exceed the combined earnings of other large occupational groups:

The 3.2 million US cashiers.

The nation’s 917,000 human-resources specialists, whose total incomes fall $26.7 billion short of Musk’s yearly figure.

The scale of the pay package — and its contrast with essential professions — triggered widespread social media commentary. While some users slammed, adding that the "system only rewards billionaires", others took Musk's side.

One user wrote: “This is disgusting.” Another observed: “Any school teacher has more work ethic in their pinky finger than Elon Musk has in his entire body. Make billionaires pay their fair share.” A third commented: “And this is why, children, billionaires and trillionaires are the sign of a failed society.”

"The sickness is the capitalist system that prioritizes profits over people," a user commented.

Others pointed to the capacity of such wealth to solve large-scale problems: “He could literally pay them all and still be rich. Same with world hunger. But he won’t because he has the empathy and emotional intelligence of a damp sponge.” Another remarked: “A minimum wage worker with no health care in middle America will celebrate this.

Meanwhile, a section of user backed Musk and supported him by claiming that he is the highest tax-paying citizen of the country.

"Has any of you idiots done .0000001 % of what he has for humanity already? Miseducating our innocent children, holding our families and parents hostage to your taxes and ignorant culture doesn't count. Union teachers are mostly useless babysitters, overpaid and lazy," a user said.

Another user noted, "No U.S. elementary school teacher could consistently match his results, not even 10% of them. They can’t be the CEO of five companies at once and deliver strong results across all of them. So tell me, why should they earn anything close?"

A user called the backlash the "single dumbest thing" they have read on the internet adding, "Elon Musk has paid more tax to his government than any human in history. In 2021, Elon paid $11B in taxes, more than 1.2M teachers paid, combined."