Tesla Eyes Internal CEO Candidates If Musk Leaves Over Pay Vote

Tesla Inc. is prepared to name a new chief executive officer from inside the company if shareholders reject Elon Musk’s proposed $1 trillion pay package and he steps down, according to the chair of the EV maker’s board.

To ensure an “orderly transition, the most likely would be internal,” Robyn Denholm said Tuesday in an interview, without ruling out the possibility of external candidates.

While Musk has been inextricably linked to Tesla for more than a decade, the prospect of his departure has come into focus ahead of the pivotal shareholder vote next week.

The compensation agreement could give ...