Tesla gave Elon Musk a stock grant of $29 billion on Monday as a reward for years of “transformative and unprecedented” growth despite a recent foray into right-wing politics that has hurt

The company described the "interim award" as "good faith" payment to honor Musk's more than $50 billion pay package from 2018 that was struck down by a Delaware court last year.

Tesla approved an interim stock award worth about $US30 billion ($46 billion) for chief executive officer Elon Musk, a massive payout meant to keep the billionaire’s attention on the vehicle manufacturer as a legal fight over a 2018 pay package drags on.