Earlier this year, Musk gave investors an ultimatum. Meet his comp demands, or he’ll prefer to build AI and robotics products “outside of Tesla.”

Plenty scoffed at the idea he’d take his ball and go home, leaving Tesla high and dry. But Tesla’s board chair hinted it’s not an empty threat.

To that point, Musk recently diverted a $500 million shipment of Nvidia chips from Tesla to X. Musk, for his part, said the chips were rerouted because Tesla didn’t have space for them.

The episode points to a common criticism of Musk: He has too many jobs. One longtime Tesla investor said the EV maker is “kind of the bottom of the pecking pole of Elon’s companies.”

Musk has spun that to his advantage, suggesting his business empire is a “Muskonomy” that Tesla benefits from being a part of.

But that empire came with some negative press this week. An extensive report from The Wall Street Journal made claims about Musk’s interactions with female SpaceX employees, including an accusation of asking a direct report to have his babies.

SpaceX’s chief operating officer, Gwynne Shotwell, said in a statement to the Journal: “The untruths, mischaracterizations, and revisionist history in your email paint a completely misleading narrative.”

As for Tesla, plenty view Musk as too intertwined with the company not to meet his demands. Tesla’s board chair said while the EV maker could exist without him, it needs him right now.

But a billionaire investor who backs the pay package was more direct: Without Musk, there is “no Tesla.”

What do you think? Vote here on if you’re for or against Musk’s pay package.