Tesla’s bill for Elon Musk’s security has gotten a whole lot more expensive.
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The EV giant spent about $4.8 million on Musk’s security in 2025, up from $2.8 million the year before, according to Tesla’s latest 10K SEC filing, as concerns about threats to high-profile executives continue to grow.
Tesla’s spending on Musk’s security through to February more than doubled to $1.3 million from $500,000 in the same period a year earlier.
This is not the total cost of Musk’s security — his other companies, including SpaceX and xAI, also pay for some of it as part of efforts to manage risks tied to his high profile.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
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The ramp-up in security allocations comes amid growing threats against CEOs and other high-profile individuals.
In April, a Molotov cocktail was thrown at the home of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Security veterans previously told Business Insider that this attack is likely to prompt companies to reassess how they protect their executives, so they can ensure their safety at private residences, as well as in public.
While executive security has always been of importance to companies, the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024 ramped up security concerns.
In response to a post in September on X by ‘retail shareholder advocate’ Alexandra Merz that Tesla needs to “drastically” increase its security spending on him, Musk wrote that he “definitely need[s] to enhance security.”
This came in the aftermath of the killing of Charlie Kirk, a conservative influencer.
The New York Times reported in 2024 that Musk travels with as many as 20 bodyguards and a medical professional.
Musk’s growing security spend still pales in comparison to that of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s. In Meta’s last three annual proxy statements, Zuckerberg’s “other compensation,” which includes security and travel costs, has been $24 million or higher.
