Tesla hands $29B comp package to Elon Musk amid 'AI talent war'

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories to start your morning

View this email online in your browser  August 04, 2025 TechCrunch Top 3 Tesla hands $29B comp package to Elon Musk amid 'AI talent war': The plan would be voided if the Delaware Supreme Court overturns the decision to spike Musk's $56B comp plan from 2018. A judge ruled in 2024 that plan was unfairly negotiated. Read More OpenMind wants to be the Android operating system of humanoid robots: OpenMind is building humanoid robot operating software designed for robots that interact with people and other robots. Read More North Korean spies posing as remote workers have infiltrated hundreds of companies, says CrowdStrike: North Korean IT workers are increasingly using generative AI to draft resumes and "deepfake" their appearances to make money for North Korea's sanctioned nuclear weapons program. Read More A message from TechCrunch Events Join 10,000 tech & VC leaders at Disrupt 2025 in Oct 250+ top tech voices. 200 sessions. 10,000+ attendees. 3 days straight — October 27–29 at Moscone West in San Francisco. Don't miss valuable takeaways across 6 industry stages, breakouts, roundtables, and unmatched networking. All at the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt. Register now to save up to $675 on your ticket. Register Now Morning Must-Reads The uproar over Vogue's AI-generated ad isn't just about fashion: "Modeling as a profession is already challenging enough without having to compete with now new digital standards of perfection that can be achieved with AI," Sarah Murray told TechCrunch. Read More Amazon shuts down Wondery podcast studio, cuts 110 jobs: Despite securing big names in the business, the company is now shifting its strategy in an effort to better compete with rivals like Spotify and YouTube. Read More Spotify raises subscription prices: Spotify is raising prices for users in some international markets after a rough quarterly earnings report. Read More Mastercard denies pressuring game platforms, Valve tells a different story: Mastercard seemingly denied playing a role in a recent marketplace crackdown on games with adult content, while Valve says the pressure was indirect. Read More SAP is acquiring SmartRecruiters: SAP has reached an agreement to acquire SmartRecruiters, with SmartRecruiters' software complementing SAP's existing HR tools. Read More A message from Deck Your product moves faster when the web moves for you. Behind every user action is a portal. Deck turns those portals into APIs, so your platform can read data, push updates, and automate entire flows in minutes. From bill pay to reports downloads, we let your users take action instantly, no manual uploads, no brittle scripts, no waiting for an integration. Learn More Last but Not Least Joby Aviation to buy Blade Air Mobility's ride-share business: Joby is buying the Blade brand and the company's passenger business, which includes operations in the United States and Europe, for as much as $125 million. Read More Check out some of our other newsletters: StrictlyVC TechCrunch Events TechCrunch Mobility Want to adjust your daily newsletter schedule? You can do it right here Got a tip? Get in touch securely. Want to advertise on TechCrunch? advertise@techcrunch.com Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter. Unsubscribe Member Center Privacy Policy Copyright © 2025 TechCrunch Media LLC 501 2nd Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, CA 94107