Meta Platforms has introduced a new stock option plan for senior executives as the company increases spending on artificial intelligence. The awards are tied to strict share-price targets and fixed dates, linking executive pay to market value growth during the company’s AI expansion.
Regulatory filings show that Meta’s new stock options will become available only if the company reaches set share-price levels. The first tranche requires the stock to rise to $1,116.08, which is 88.2% above Tuesday’s closing price of $592.92. The highest tranche requires the stock to reach $3,727.12.
If Meta reaches that top level, its market value would exceed $9 trillion. The company must meet the targets by February 14, 2028, for the options to be earned under the main terms. If the targets are not reached by then, unearned options will be released in installments through August 15, 2030. The options will expire in March 2031 if they are not used.
A Meta spokesperson described the awards as “a big bet.” The spokesperson also stated, “These pay packages will not be realized unless Meta achieves massive future success, benefiting all of our shareholders.”
The option plan covers several senior executives, but it does not include Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg. Executives named in the filings include Chief Financial Officer Susan Li, technology head Andrew Bosworth, Chief Product Officer Chris Cox, operations chief Javier Olivan, President Dina Powell McCormick, and Chief Legal Officer Curtis Mahoney.
Meta also increased restricted stock awards for most of the executives in the plan. Li, Bosworth, Cox, and Olivan are among those set to receive restricted stock awards worth a combined $170 million based on the latest closing price. Those awards will be released quarterly.
McCormick and Mahoney joined Meta in January. Chief Accounting Officer Aaron Anderson will receive restricted stock only and is not listed among those receiving the new options.
Also Read: Meta Staff Stock Options Drop 10% Despite Record Share Highs in 2025
The compensation move comes as Meta continues a major investment push in artificial intelligence. The company plans capital expenditures of up to $135 billion this year. In June, it invested $14.3 billion in Scale AI and brought in Scale AI Chief Executive Alexandr Wang to lead its AI unit, now called Meta Superintelligence Labs.
Meta also reorganized its AI division in 2025 after its Llama 4 model family did not gain broad traction with third-party developers. At the same time, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google expanded their AI products and models. Meta is also pursuing a new Llama successor and a frontier AI model known internally as Avocado.
The highest stock target in the plan would place Meta above the largest listed companies by market value. At more than $9 trillion, Meta would stand well above Nvidia, which is currently valued at about $4.257 trillion.
The filings also show that Meta’s structure uses long-term price targets rather than immediate cash rewards. Meta has used large compensation packages before in efforts to recruit AI researchers, and the latest plan extends that approach to its top executive ranks.