Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. a shareholder
    • ex. The shareholders disagreed on the plan to expand the business.
  2. stock
    • ex. She bought stock in a technology company last year to earn extra money.
  3. unprecedented
    • ex. The team achieved an unprecedented success, something no one had done before.
  4. plunge
    • ex. The company’s sales plunged after a new company started selling the same product.
  5. reckless
    • ex. He is being reckless when he drives the car too fast on wet roads.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, just received approval from shareholders for a new pay plan that could make him the first person to earn $1 trillion (about ¥154 trillion) worth of Tesla stock. The plan is unprecedented. Musk will only get the Tesla stock if he reaches certain performance goals over the next ten years.

At Tesla’s annual meeting in Texas, more than 75% of investors voted yes for the plan. The vote shows that many investors still have faith in Musk, even as Tesla has problems with falling profits and sales, which have plunged in key markets such as Germany.  Many believe he can guide the company back to success, just as he did years ago when Tesla was close to bankruptcy. Musk called the shareholders a “fantastic group” and told them to “hang on to your Tesla stock.”

However, some critics say the company’s leaders are too close to Musk and that his behavior has been reckless. But supporters argue that the plan will motivate Musk to focus on Tesla’s future, including self-driving cars and robots that can work in homes, offices, and factories.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Elon Musk’s Leadership

  • Some critics say Elon Musk is reckless, but many investors still have faith in him. Do you think being reckless can be good for a leader sometimes? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Many investors still believe in Musk's leadership despite the problems with falling profits and sales. Do you think a leader can succeed if the team or investors do not believe in them? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Imagine you are a shareholder or investor at Tesla. What qualities would you want your leader to have (ex. honesty, creativity)? Discuss.

Being a Trillionaire

  • Imagine you were a shareholder at Tesla. Would you agree to pay Elon Musk $1 trillion worth of Tesla stock if he reaches his performance goals? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • What do you think happens when only one person owns a very large amount of money, like $1 trillion? Discuss.
  • Imagine you were a trillionaire. How would this wealth change you and your daily life? Discuss.