Elon Musk secures a massive win as Delaware restores his Tesla pay deal, now valued at a staggering $140 billion.

The long legal showdown over Elon Musk’s wealth has taken a dramatic turn. In a unanimous landmark ruling on Friday, the Delaware Supreme Court reinstated Musk’s 2018 compensation package, effectively handing him a fortune now worth an estimated $140 billion.

This decision brings a sigh of relief for the tech mogul after a lower court had initially scrapped the deal last year. The Supreme Court judges argued that canceling the package was unjust, as it would have left Musk completely uncompensated for six years of work that saw Tesla’s value skyrocket.

Musk, who never hides his feelings, took to his social media platform, X, to celebrate the victory. With a simple post reading “Vindicated,” he signaled the end of a bitter dispute that saw him move Tesla’s State of Incorporation from Delaware to Texas in protest.

The legal battle started in an unlikely way. A shareholder named Richard Tornetta a former heavy metal drummer who owned only nine shares sued the company, claiming the pay deal was improperly negotiated.

While a lower court judge initially agreed with Tornetta and blocked the payout in early 2024, the Supreme Court has now overturned that decision. 

The judges noted that the milestones set in 2018 were high, but Musk and Tesla successfully hit every single one of them.

With the 2018 deal back on the table, Tesla is expected to drop a smaller $29 billion "backup" package it had prepared in case the appeal failed.

However, the hustle doesn't stop there for Musk. This reinstated deal is separate from a newer, ambitious $1 trillion compensation plan. To unlock that massive wealth, Musk must continue to hit aggressive growth targets for the electric vehicle giant.

For now, the "Texas-sized" victory settles one of the most expensive corporate disputes in history, proving that in the world of big business, the final word often rests with the highest court.