How Much Do Tesla Employees Make? Internal Docs Reveal the Surprising Salaries of Elon Musk’s ‘Hardcore’ Staffers.

Elon Musk still wants “hardcore” workers, and it’s not just at X.

Landing a job at Tesla, where Musk is CEO, can be a difficult feat. The process takes months and can include “at least nine interviews,” a former recruiter told Business Insider.

Related: The Ex-Twitter Director Who Went ‘Hardcore’ for Elon Musk and Slept on the Floor of X’s Office Is Now Working at Meta

“The whole system is set up to find the fanatics,” a current Tesla worker with knowledge of the company’s hiring process told Business Insider. “They could get better pay somewhere else, but we want the people who are die-hard Tesla.”

As of June 2024, the company employs around 120,000 workers, per CNBC.

The tough hiring process is also reflected in the company’s pay structure, which offers lower base salaries but larger stock grants than its competitors in the automotive and tech industries, according to the report.

Business Insider secured access to Tesla’s internal pay database (as of December 2021) and reviewed the salary data of nearly 100,000 employees.

The outlet used this information, public filings, and additional interviews with former Tesla workers to uncover the company’s pay structure.

Here’s a look at a handful of roles.

Click here for the full report.

Analyst

• Median base pay: $93,000
• Max base pay: $120,000
• Median stock grants: $20,000
• Max stock grants: $80,000
• Percentage with a stock grant: 88%

Associate QA Engineer

• Median base pay: $85,000
• Max base pay: $108,000
• Median stock grants: $30,000
• Max stock grants: $40,000
• Percentage with a stock grant: 68%

Senior Hardware Engineer

• Median base pay: $151,215
• Max base pay: $180,000
• Median stock grants: $55,000
• Max stock grants: $450,000
• Percentage with a stock grant: 67%

Related: Google Engineers Rake in Big Bucks with Base Salaries Up to $718,000, According to a New Report

Senior Manager Accounting

• Median base pay: $173,000
• Max base pay: $210,000
• Median stock grants: $65,000
• Max stock grants: $500,000
• Percentage with a stock grant: 100%

Senior Technical Program Manager

• Median base pay: $139,500
• Max base pay: $180,000
• Median stock grants: $45,375
• Max stock grants: $450,000
• Percentage with a stock grant: 86%