As shitty as that is, the practical reality in that board room is that headcount is not an indicator of profit or Elons contribution to Tesla.
Sure, Ok. What does Elon bring to the table? Is it even possible for him to produce something worth $56 million for Tesla? Each of those employees was producing something for the company, something more valuable than their respective salaries. They were fired to improve the expense side of a balance sheet. How many of them would still be employed if they cut the $56 million payout to Elon? What would the company lose if Elon did not get paid? What would Elon lose if he didn’t get paid? Hundreds of people loat their jobs, possibly their homes, maybe even died because they were fired.
Billion. That’s $56 billion he wants. Oof.
Oof, indeed.