Tesla makes a 'quite change' in definition of its key technology after Elon Musk's $1 trillion pay package

Tesla has reportedly updated the description of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) package on its website. First spotted by Benzinga, the electric vehicle maker’s website now states that the system does not make its vehicles autonomous. The change, as per the report, appeared on the company’s website on Sunday - September 7, shortly after CEO Elon Musk’s $1 trillion compensation package was announced.“Currently enabled features require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous,” Tesla’s update reads. It adds that the availability of features depends on regulatory approval and further development, which “may take longer in some jurisdictions.” Tesla has not yet commented on the change.

Elon Musk’s new pay package

Last week, the Tesla board proposed a $1 trillion compensation plan for CEO Elon Musk. The newly proposed award is roughly 18 times the size of the 2018 pay package.

In a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the company said that “traditional compensation packages granted to executives at other companies were determined to not be appropriate for designing Mr. Musk’s incentive compensation.”Notably, the new pay package comes with a condition – 10 million active FSD subscriptions for Tesla and 1 million Tesla robotaxis on the road. FSD, as explained in the SEC filing “means an advanced driving system, regardless of the marketing name used, that is capable of performing transportation tasks that provide autonomous or similar functionality under specified driving conditions”.

Challenges faced by Tesla’s FSD program

Tesla’s FSD program is under growing legal scrutiny. A California judge recently allowed a class-action lawsuit to move forward, with plaintiffs accusing Tesla of making misleading claims about FSD’s capabilities. The company also faces an investor lawsuit after concerns about safety incidents during its June robotaxi launch in Texas.Despite these challenges, Tesla has expanded its robotaxi operations in Austin, with vehicles now operating on highways under the supervision of safety drivers. The company also rolled out its Robotaxi app on Apple App Store.