The AFL-CIO, the largest labor union federation in the United States, said in a report that Tesla chief executive Elon Musk received compensation in 2025 that was about 2.5 million times that of the company’s average worker. The report, cited in an article published on August 14, 2026, put Musk’s total compensation at about $1.583 trillion.

Excluding Musk, the average pay gap between chief executives and workers at leading S&P 500 companies was 312-to-1, up from 285-to-1 in 2024, according to the report. Including Musk, the ratio rose to 5,387-to-1. His compensation pushed average compensation for top executives in 2025 to $341 million, while the figure was $22.8 million without him.

The report said workers’ share of US national income was at its lowest point since World War II, while many Americans faced financial strain over retirement savings, emergency expenses and medical costs. AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond accused CEOs and the Trump administration of manipulating the economy to enrich themselves at the expense of working people. The report also cited President Donald Trump’s 2025 income of about $2.2 billion from multiple sources, including crypto assets.