Tesla's Climbing Stock Makes Employees Rich, Elon Musk Richest

Unlike most automotive companies, Tesla Inc TSLA offers stock options and grants to all of its employees.

Regardless of rank or position, all Tesla employees are offered this benefit. Therefore, the entire company and all of its employees stand to gain as Tesla’s stock continues to surge upwards.

Some of the Tesla employees with the largest stakes are: 

• Drew Baglino, senior vice president of powertrain and energy engineering: 4,222 Tesla shares worth more than $5.7 million.
• Jerome Guillen, president of automotive: 9,752 Tesla shares worth more than $13 million. 
• Zachary Kirkhorn, CFO: 11,831 shares worth $16 million.
• Kimbal Musk, Elon Musk’s brother and Tesla board member: 130,848 Tesla shares worth more than $175 million.

Of course, the CEO himself has gained the most from this stock rise. Musk owns 34,098,597 TSLA shares worth more than $46 billion.

Even lower-paying positions at Tesla —for example, sales and production associates — are given anywhere between $20,000 and $40,000 in restricted shares that vest over three years.

Tesla shares were up 0.43% at $1,395.78 at the time of publication Wednesday.

Photo courtesy of Tesla.