Can shareholders influence Elon Musk's trillion dollar pay package?

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  NPR. This is The Indicator from Planet Money.

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  I'm Adrian Ma.

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  And I'm Waylon Wong.

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  We had some news come out last week about Tesla that made me do a spit take.

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  I'm talking spring morning coffee all over my laptop screen.

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  Tesla has proposed a new pay package for CEO Elon Musk that would award him anywhere from $88 billion to about $1 trillion

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  if he hits certain goals.

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  This would be unprecedented compensation for a CEO.

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  It's not a done deal, though.

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  Tesla shareholders have to vote on this proposal in November,

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  and that's when the company holds its annual meeting.

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  A shareholder vote might sound like a great exercise in corporate democracy,

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  a chance for a Tesla investor to have their say.

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  But it's not that simple.

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  Today on the show, we look at what it takes for a shareholder to get their voice heard,

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  and the shifting power dynamics between shareholders and corporate leaders.

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  Plus, we talk to one Tesla investor agitating for changes at the company.

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  Earlier this year,

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  Elizabeth Steiner composed a strongly worded letter to the chair of Tesla's board of directors.

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  Let's just say she had some notes.

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