Elon Musk responded to an unprecedented pay proposal from Tesla Inc.’s board by buying about $1 billion worth of shares, sending the stock soaring in premarket trading.

The billionaire bought the shares indirectly through a revocable trust on Sept. 12, according to a regulatory filing released Monday. The purchase coincided with Tesla Chair Robyn Denholm speaking with reporters about the merits of awarding Musk around $1 trillion worth of stock if the company achieves a series of ambitious market value and performance milestones.

Musk, 54, last bought Tesla stock in the open market in February 2020, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The chief executive officer offloaded more than $20 billion of the company’s shares in 2022, the year he acquired Twitter.

The purchase amounts to a

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