Americans are stunned after learning that Elon Musk could make more in a single year than every elementary school teacher in the United States combined. Musk’s potential Tesla payout which is nearly $100 billion annually over the next decade would exceed the combined earnings of all 4 million grade-school teachers in the country by almost $3 billion.
According to a Washington Post analysis, the scale of his projected income has reignited conversations around billionaire wealth and widening income disparities in the US. The numbers, analysts say, are so large that they defy everyday understanding.
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Musk’s annual payout dwarfs entire US professions, comparison shows
Using its interactive calculator, the Washington Post found that Musk’s yearly compensation would roughly match the combined salaries of all 3.2 million US cashiers, exceed the collective income of every family medicine physician by $72 billion, outpace mechanical engineers by $68 billion, and surpass police officers by $47 billion.
The report has gone viral, sparking widespread outrage and disbelief online. “This is disgusting,” wrote one user, while another remarked sarcastically, “Definitely seems like a good way to run a society.” On Reddit, a comment read, “Billionaires and trillionaires are the sign of a failed society.”
Many pointed out that Musk’s wealth could easily address major systemic issues. “He could literally pay them all and still be rich. Same with world hunger,” one user wrote.
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Despite such criticism, others noted that sections of the population still celebrate his success. “A minimum wage worker with no health care in middle America will celebrate this,” read a viral comment.
To put things in perspective, $1 million is just 0.001% of Musk’s proposed annual payout. For the average American earning $63,795 a year, that is the equivalent of about 64 cents or a spare change.
