Archive · 14 Aug 2026
Musk's $158bn pay widens CEO-worker gap to record: report
A big group that speaks for American workers made a report about how much money company bosses earn.
The report says Elon Musk, the boss of the car company Tesla, got a giant payment in 2025.
It was so big that a Tesla worker would need more than two million years to earn the same amount.
Even without counting Elon Musk, the average big-company boss earned 312 times more than a typical worker.
Bosses' pay went up a lot from the year before.
Meanwhile, many regular Americans are struggling: more than one in three adults could not handle a surprise $400 bill.
The report also looked at President Trump's money.
It says he earned $2.2 billion in 2025, mostly from cryptocurrency.
Some people say the economy is unfair to workers, but the White House says the President's money is managed properly and there are no conflicts of interest.
Elon Musk earned about $158.3 billion in 2025, more than 2.5 million times the median Tesla worker's pay, according to a new AFL-CIO report.
Excluding Musk, the average S&P 500 CEO earned $22.8 million in 2025 — 312 times the median US worker, up from 285 times in 2024.
With Musk included, the average CEO-to-worker pay ratio jumped to 5,387:1 and average CEO pay rose to $340.1 million.
Donald Trump's 2025 income rose nearly 254% to $2.2 billion, largely due to his cryptocurrency holdings.
The report found workers' share of US national income fell to its lowest level since World War II, with 37% of adults unable to cover a $400 emergency expense.
- Who
- Elon Musk, S&P 500 CEOs, and President Donald Trump, as analyzed by the AFL-CIO in its Executive Paywatch report.
- What
- A record gap between CEO compensation and worker pay in 2025, with Musk receiving about $158.3 billion.
- When
- In the 2025 compensation year; the report was released in 2026.
- Where
- United States.
- Why
- Executive pay grew sharply while workers' share of US national income fell to its lowest level since World War II.
Labor advocates (AFL-CIO)
White House / administration supporters
CEO pay and the economy
Labor advocates (AFL-CIO)
AFL-CIO's Fred Redmond says CEOs and the Trump administration have 'rigged our economy to enrich themselves at the expense of working people,' citing record pay ratios and workers' lowest income share since World War II.
White House / administration supporters
A White House spokesperson says President Trump is a 'massively successful businessman' whose success is why he was elected, and that his assets are held in fully discretionary accounts managed by independent third-party institutions.
Trump's $2.2bn cryptocurrency income
Labor advocates (AFL-CIO)
AFL-CIO calls Trump's income 'political grift unlike what we have ever seen,' and criticizes a Republican budget bill for cutting healthcare and food assistance to give tax cuts to corporations and the wealthy.
White House / administration supporters
The White House says all the President's assets are in fully discretionary accounts managed by independent third-party financial institutions, with no conflicts of interest.
- Musk's 2025 compensation
- $158.36 billion
- Musk pay vs. median Tesla worker
- More than 2.5 million times
- Average S&P 500 CEO pay (excl. Musk)
- $22.8 million, up 21% from $18.9 million in 2024
- CEO-to-worker pay ratio (excl. Musk)
- 312:1, up from 285:1 in 2024
- CEO-to-worker pay ratio (incl. Musk)
- 5,387:1
- Trump's 2025 income
- $2.2 billion, up nearly 254% from 2024
- Adults unable to cover a $400 emergency
- 37%
- Workers' share of US national income
- Lowest level since World War II
