SpaceX may be preparing one of the most extraordinary executive reward packages ever conceived, and it is tied to an ambition that sounds more like science fiction than corporate strategy. According to reports surrounding the company’s long-term compensation structure, Elon Musk could eventually receive the biggest reward payout in history if he succeeds in helping establish a permanent human civilisation on Mars with a population of 1 million people.

‘We do not want humans to have the same fate as dinosaurs,’ the prospectus reads.

SpaceX links Elon Musk’s compensation to Mars colony plans, space data centres and up to $7.5T valuation, per SEC filing ahead of IPO.