TLDR
- Meta unveiled a new stock option program for six top executives tied to hitting a $9 trillion market cap by 2031
- Full value is only unlocked if META stock rises more than 500% to $3,727 per share
- The target must be hit in five years — half the timeline of Tesla’s Musk pay package
- Meta’s stock-based compensation consumed 96% of free cash flow ($42 billion) in 2025
- CEO Mark Zuckerberg is not included in the new option program
Meta Platforms has launched one of the most aggressive executive pay programs Wall Street has seen in years. The company filed details late Tuesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission outlining a new stock option plan for six of its top leaders.
The plan only pays out in full if Meta’s market capitalization reaches $9 trillion by 2031 — up from around $1.5 trillion today. That’s a jump of more than 500%.
To get there, META stock would need to climb to $3,727 per share. Hitting that number would require an annualized return of roughly 45% every year for the next five years, according to Dow Jones Market Data.
The six executives included in the program are CFO Susan Li, CTO Andrew Bosworth, COO Javier Olivan, CPO Chris Cox, CLO C.J. Mahoney, and Vice Chairman Dina Powell McCormick. Mark Zuckerberg is not part of it.
“This is a big bet,” a Meta spokesman said. “These pay packages will not be realized unless Meta achieves massive future success, benefiting all of our shareholders.”
The program is also partly designed to hold onto top AI talent at a time when competition for researchers and engineers is fierce. Meta spent heavily last summer recruiting AI researchers, offering individual packages that in some cases could top $1 billion.
How It Stacks Up Against Tesla’s Musk Deal
The comparison to Tesla is hard to miss. Tesla shareholders approved a pay deal for Elon Musk last fall worth up to $1 trillion over 10 years, contingent on Tesla reaching an $8.5 trillion valuation.
Meta’s program targets a similar level of growth — but in half the time. Five years versus ten.
Tesla currently sits at a market cap of around $1.47 trillion. Meta is at $1.51 trillion, ranking seventh among U.S. companies behind Nvidia, Apple, Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, and Broadcom.
The cost of Meta’s AI push is already showing up in its financials. Stock-based compensation consumed 96% of the company’s free cash flow — roughly $42 billion — in 2025.
The RSU Layer
Meta is also increasing restricted stock unit grants for several executive officers. However, two of the newest additions — CLO C.J. Mahoney, who joined from Microsoft in January, and Dina Powell McCormick, also new this year — will not receive those RSU grants, as both received new hire grants when they joined.
META stock rose about 1.2% on the news Wednesday. The stock is up 567% from its November 2022 lows.
Considering a new stock? You may want to see what’s on our watchlist first.
Our team at Knockout Stocks follows top-performing analysts and market-moving trends to spot potential winners early. We’ve identified five stocks gaining quiet attention that could be worth watching now. Create your free account to unlock the full report and get ongoing stock insights.Get 3 Free Stock Ebooks
Discover top-performing stocks in AI, Crypto, and Technology with expert analysis.
- Top 10 AI Stocks - Leading AI companies
- Top 10 Crypto Stocks - Blockchain leaders
- Top 10 Tech Stocks - Tech giants
