Michael Dell has weighed in on Elon Musk’s controversial 2025 CEO Performance Award, offering a grounded perspective amidst the noise surrounding the pay package today.

As pointed out by the Dell Technologies CEO, Musk will only be rewarded if he delivers extraordinary value to shareholders. Musk would quite literally receive no compensation if he fails to achieve his targets.

Dell emphasizes results over rhetoric

Dell shared his thoughts about Musk’s 2025 CEO Performance Award in a post on X.“Vote FOR Elon Musk. The award is only achieved IF he hits exceptionally ambitious market-cap and operational milestones—if he falls short, he gets nothing,” Dell wrote in his post. 

“If he succeeds, shareholders will win big through unprecedented value creation, and he will earn added voting rights to continue driving Tesla’s long-term vision.”

Musk replied with a short “Thanks Michael,” acknowledging Dell’s support. Dell’s framing cuts through the debate surrounding Musk’s compensation, as he simply focused on the incentive structure’s risk-reward balance.

Musk’s ambitious pay package

Elon Musk’s 2025 CEO Performance Award requires Tesla’s market capitalization to rise from roughly $1.1 trillion today to $8.5 trillion within a decade. This would make Tesla more valuable than any company in history.

Apart from this, Tesla’s operating profit must also grow from $17 billion to $400 billion annually. Musk must also lead the company to several product-related milestones, such as 20 million cumulative vehicle deliveries, 10 million Full Self-Driving subscriptions, 1 million Tesla Bots, and 1 million operating Robotaxis.

So far, proxy advisors Glass Lewis and ISS have urged shareholders to vote against the plan. Some prominent investors, including ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood, however, have voiced strong support for the plan. Wood called Musk “the most productive human being on earth,” arguing that his vision and ability to attract talent are central to Tesla’s success.

As artificial intelligence fuels surging demand for computing power, Elon Musk has hinted that SpaceX may use its Starlink V3 satellites to develop space-based data centers. 

Musk’s remarks come as companies explore how orbital infrastructure could solve the Earth-bound energy and cooling challenges that come with hyperscale AI computing.

SpaceX could lead the race to orbit-based computing

After Ars Technica published a report on autonomous space construction, Musk replied on X: “Simply scaling up Starlink V3 satellites, which have high speed laser links would work. SpaceX will be doing this.” 

SpaceX’s Starlink V3 platform is capable of up to 1 terabit per second (Tbps) throughput, so it could potentially form the foundation for orbital computing clusters powered by solar energy. 

Proponents have noted that such data centers could eliminate the massive land, water, and power footprints of traditional facilities on Earth. Critics, however, have question the economics and complexity of maintaining large-scale data systems in orbit.

Elon Musk, for his part, recently reiterated on X that this particular idea is a very big deal. 

SpaceX’s track record is substantial

Despite the reservations for such a radical idea, SpaceX’s track record is pretty much bulletproof at this point. The company’s Starlink network, once deemed as unrealistic by critics, now delivers broadband to millions worldwide while turning a profit. Its Falcon 9 rockets, which are capable of landing on land or on a drone in the middle of the ocean, are also among the world’s most reliable. 

With this track record in mind, it would seem that Elon Musk’s idea of using Starlink satellites as the building blocks for a space-based data center might not be too farfetched at all.

Interest in space-based data storage and processing has intensified in recent months, Ars noted. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt reportedly acquired Relativity Space with an eye on orbital data infrastructure, while Jeff Bezos recently predicted gigawatt-scale data centers will operate in space within two decades.

Tesla has quietly added Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) functionality to the Model Y L through its latest over-the-air update in China, giving owners the ability to power external devices directly from their EVs.

The addition of the feature was highlighted by Tesla in its release notes for China’s 2025.32.300 update.

Model Y L gains V2L and other convenience upgrades

The 2025.32.300 update, which is rolling out to Model Y L vehicles in China, introduces several notable additions. First among them is an “external discharge function,” which enables V2L capability through an official adapter that Tesla plans to release later.

The feature should enable the Model Y L to power appliances, tools, or possibly even other EVs, making it extra useful for camping trips or the occasional power outages. 

Other improvements include a lower temperature limit for Dog Mode, customizable low-battery settings to conserve energy while parked, and expanded personalization for the vehicle’s “Rave Cave” entertainment feature. Tesla noted that certain functions may vary depending on vehicle configuration, and rollout timing could differ by region.

Model Y L is surging in China’s SUV rankings

Despite being new in the market, the Model Y L is already making some waves in  China’s top-selling mid-to-large SUVs lists. Data from Yiche showed that Tesla sold 8,221 units in September, securing fourth place in the segment behind the Leapmotor C16, Li Auto L6, and the Xiaomi YU7.

The Model Y L’s rapid ascent highlighted its strong market appeal despite a higher price point than most local competitors. Interestingly enough, the Xiaomi YU7, which is positioned closer to the standard Model Y with its five-seat configuration, topped the rankings with 22,244 units sold in September.

With Tesla’s continued free software upgrades, as well as its features like Full Self-Driving (Supervised), however, the Model Y L may have a chance at climbing China’s lists for the best-selling mid-to-large SUVs.