London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 23, 2026

Elon Musk Sells $1.1Bln in Tesla Stock to Cover Tax Obligations

Elon Musk Sells $1.1Bln in Tesla Stock to Cover Tax Obligations

In late October, Musk slammed a proposal initiated by Democrats in the US Congress to tax the investment gains of billionaires, which envisages using the revenue to cover social and economic programs, like child care and environment initiatives.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has sold $1.1 billion worth of shares to satisfy tax related obligations, following a Twitter poll on whether he should sell off 10 percent of his holdings to pay a proposed “billionaire's tax,” setting off worries that such a sale could hurt Tesla's share price.

According to a regulatory filing from the company late Wednesday, Musk made the sale as he exercised stock options the same day to acquire more than 2 million shares.

Those shares would have been valued at more than $2.3 billion at the market’s close on Wednesday.

Musk turned to Twitter Saturday, and phrased his poll as a tax question, telling followers that “much is made lately of unrealized gains being a means of tax avoidance, so I propose selling 10% of my Tesla stock.”


The poll collected more than 3.5 million votes, and 58 percent supported a sale, as Musk vowed to abide by the result.

Tesla recovered 4.3 percent to $1,067.95 in Wednesday’s trading session after shares dropped sharply over the Twitter poll.

“Following the bizarre Twitter poll Musk put out over the weekend on his 10 percent ownership stake to be sold, it appears Musk walked the walk and thus has started selling Tesla shares into year-end,” said Wedbush analyst Dan Ives in a research note obtained by DailyMail.com.


In light of the introduced billionaire tax, which would tax unrealized gains of a handful of the richest Americans, Musk said he does not take a cash salary or bonus, so “the only way for me to pay taxes personally is to sell stock.”

“The company itself is on fire, with strong results,' said Tim Ghriskey, a senior portfolio strategist at New York-based investment management firm Ingalls and Snyder. “That is not going to fade quickly.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
'They're people from all walks of life across the UK'
EU Digital ID Claims Misstate What Brussels Can Legally Force on Member States
The Great Western Exit: Why Best Citizens Are Fleeing the Rich World [PODCAST]
The New Robber Barons of Intelligence: Are AI Bosses More Powerful Than Rockefeller?
The End of the Old Order [Podcast]
Britain’s Democracy Is Now a Costume
The AI Gold Rush Is Coming for America’s Last Open Spaces [Podcast]
The Pentagon’s AI Squeeze: Eight Tech Giants Get In, Anthropic Gets Shut Out [Podcast]
The War Map: Professor Jiang’s Dark Theory of Iran, Trump, China, Russia, Israel, and the Coming Global Shock [Podcast]
Labour Is No Longer a National Party [Podcast]
AI Isn’t Stealing Your Job. It’s Dismantling It Piece by Piece.
Lawyers vs Engineers: Why China Builds While America Litigates [Podcast]
Churchill’s Glass: The Drunk, the Doctor, and the Myth Britain Refuses to Sober Up From
Apple issues an unusual warning: this is how your iPhone can be hacked without you doing anything
Kennedy’s Quiet War on Antidepressants Sparks Alarm Across America’s Medical Establishment
The Met Gala Meets the Age of Billionaire Backlash
Russian Oligarch’s Superyacht Crosses Hormuz via Iran-Controlled Route
Gunfire Disrupts White House Correspondents’ Dinner as Trump Is Evacuated
A Leak, a King, and a Fracturing Alliance
Inside the Gates Foundation Turmoil: Layoffs, Scrutiny, and the Cost of Reputational Risk
UK Biobank Breach Exposes Health Data of 500,000, Listed for Sale on Chinese Platform
KPMG Cuts Around 10% of US Audit Partners After Failed Exit Push
French Police Probe Suspected Weather-Data Tampering After Unusual Polymarket Bets on Paris Temperatures
CATL Unveils Revolutionary EV Battery Tech: 1000 km Range and 7-Minute Charging Ahead of Beijing Auto Show
Crypto Scammers Capitalize on Maritime Chaos Near the Strait of Hormuz: A Rising Threat to Shipping Companies
Changi Airport: How Singapore Engineered the World’s Most Efficient Travel Experience
Power Dynamics: Apple’s Leadership Shakeup, Geopolitical Risks in the Strait of Hormuz, and Europe's Energy Strategy Amidst Global Challenges
Apple's Leadership Transition: Can New CEO John Ternus Navigate AI Challenges and Geopolitical Pressures?
Italy’s €100K Tax Gambit: Europe’s Soft Power Tax Haven
News Roundup
Microsoft lost 2.5 millions users (French government) to Linux
Privacy Problems in Microsoft Windows OS
News roundup
Péter András Magyar and the Strategic Reset of Hungary
Hungary After the Landslide — A Strategic Reset in Europe
Meghan Markle Plans Exclusive Women-Focused Retreat During Australia Visit
Starmer and Trump Hold Strategic Talks on Securing Strait of Hormuz Amid Rising Tensions
Unofficial Australia Visit by Prince Harry and Meghan Expected to Stir Tensions with Royal Circles
Pipeline Attack Cuts Significant Share of Saudi Arabia’s Oil Export Capacity
UK Stocks Rise on Ceasefire Momentum and Renewed Focus on Diplomacy
UK to Hold Further Strategic Talks on Strait of Hormuz Security
Starmer Voices Frustration as Global Tensions Drive Up UK Energy Costs
UK Students Voice Concern Over Proposal for Automatic Military Draft Registration
Rising Volatility Drives Uncertainty in UK Fuel and Petrol Prices
UK Moves to Deploy ‘Skyhammer’ Anti-Drone System to Strengthen Airspace Defense
New Analysis Explores UK Budget Mechanics in ‘Behind the Blue’ Feature
Man Arrested After Four Die in Channel Crossing Tragedy
UK Tightens Immigration Framework with New Sponsor Rules and Fee Increases
UK Foreign Secretary Highlights Impact of Intensified Strikes in Lebanon
UK Urges Inclusion of Lebanon in US-Iran Ceasefire Framework
×