Email: Elon Musk says X plans to award stock options based on employees' anticipated impact, and tells them to submit a one-page summary of their contributions
down down down goes the revenue — is going to screw her stock grants. — RE: https://www.threads.net/... Mastodon: Janko Roettgers / @jank0@sfba.social : @Techmeme but do they need to print out their code Bluesky: Mary Branscombe / @marypcbuk.bsky.social : How to tell the company has no managers left and no useful KPIs [embedded post] X: Dare Obasanjo / @carnage4life : This dude is constantly breaking new ground in terrible ways to run a tech company. I feel sad for all the people who feel they have no choice but to continue working at X. And you thought your performance review process sucked. [image] Gergely Orosz / @gergelyorosz : @kyliebytes “Is the stock actually worth anything?” At SpaceX, it is, thanks to regular secondary sales for staff. Musk promised a similar setup for X, but it hasn't happened. He's also the worlds 3rd wealthiest person so he could just provide liquidity if he wanted ofc. But: who knows? [image] Gergely Orosz / @gergelyorosz : X continues to be the definition of a ruthless workplace from all I understand. Push people working there to the max with expectations above most (all?) other tech companies, compensation below (no equity!), but STILL make these people prove they deserve market comp Just wow [image] Gergely Orosz / @gergelyorosz : @kyliebytes The problem with X is doing is this: - If they have underperforming people, they should manage those ppl out - Everyone remaining who meets this (very high!) bar should obviously get stock - Standout performers ofc get more - managers *should* know who there are!! Rachel E. Greenspan / @rach_greenspan : the way this is literally the insider dot com method??? @jdan : X employee here. What this #journalist fails to mention is that Elon is also submitting a one pager to all of us because we are #OneTeam. We love him. The Twitter Spaces service has paged me every single night for the last four months and has strained my relationship with my wife Travis View / @travis_view : Bold management strategy: force your employees to grovel for a slice of the fruit of their labor before you even pay them what they're owed. [image] Adam Kovacevich / @adamkovac : If anyone still working at X still thinks they're going to get their stock grants, I have a bridge to sell you Forums: r/EnoughMuskSpam : Elon Musk says X staff can get their stock — if they prove they deserve it r/antiwork : Elon Musk says X staff can get their stock — if they prove they deserve it
Context & Ripple Effects
X is revisiting equity compensation after earlier employee RSUs were reported to imply a $19 billion valuation, following a lower implied valuation in March 2023. The new approach makes the company’s changing private-market value more directly relevant to how employees assess their awards.
The move also lands amid reports that X’s internal division of responsibilities had complicated some of Linda Yaccarino’s initiatives. A founder-led, individually submitted assessment process may further centralize judgment over rewards rather than rely on conventional management structures.
First-order effects
- X employees must document their contributions in a one-page submission, while stock-option awards will be assessed against anticipated future impact rather than a clearly stated uniform formula.
- Musk and X leadership gain greater discretion over how equity is allocated, making employees’ expected strategic value central to compensation decisions.
Second-order effects
- Employees may face less certainty about the value and criteria behind equity awards, especially given X’s previously reported shifts in implied valuation.
- The process can concentrate incentives on work that leadership considers consequential, while making retention harder for employees whose impact is less easily summarized or forecast.
Third-order effects
- If adopted broadly within X, discretionary forward-looking equity awards could further replace standardized compensation bands with founder-directed capital allocation inside closely held tech companies.
- The model’s durability will depend on whether employees view the judgments as credible; otherwise, it can turn equity from a retention tool into a source of compensation risk.
The trend: X is part of a broader shift toward more centralized, strategic allocation of employee equity as private-company valuations and operating priorities become less predictable.