NEW YORK — Elon Musk turned off many potential buyers of his Tesla cars and sent sales plunging with his foray into politics . But the stock has soared anyway and now he wants the company to pay him more — a lot more.

Shareholders gathering Thursday for Tesla's annual meeting in Austin, Texas, will decide in a proxy vote whether to grant Musk, the company’s CEO and already the richest person in the world , enough stock to potentially make him history's first trillionaire.

It's a vote that has sparked heated debate on both sides of the issue, even drawing the pope’s comments on it as an example of income inequality .

Several pension funds have come out against the package, arguing that the board of directors is too beholden to Musk, his behavior too reckless lately and the riches o

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