NEW YORK: The world’s richest man was just handed a chance to become history’s first trillionaire. Elon Musk won a shareholder vote on Thursday that would give the Tesla CEO stock worth $1 trillion if he hits certain performance targets over the next decade. The vote followed weeks of debate over his management record at the electric car maker and whether anyone deserved such unprecedented pay, drawing heated commentary from small investors to giant pension funds and even the pope.

The car-maker is lobbying fiercely for the pay package, which is being voted on ahead of its AGM on Thursday.

Big funds, advisory firms and the Pope oppose the exorbitant plan. Approval means shareholders think the polarizing, distracted CEO can top past successes with an AI-powered…