Elon Musk said he plans to keep working as Tesla’s chief executive for at least five more years, unless he dies.

The billionaire simply replied “yes” when asked at the Qatar Economic Forum: “Do you see yourself and are you committed to still being the chief executive of Tesla in five years time?”

Pushed by moderator Mishal Husain, the former BBC journalist, on whether he had any doubts, he added: “I can’t be still here if I’m dead.”

There has been speculation that Mr Musk might be planning to leave his job at EV giant after a US judge blocked him from receiving a $56bn (£42bn) pay package last year.

Mr Musk has separately faced calls from investors to step down over concerns about his dedication to the job as he juggled his unofficial position leading the Trump administration’s department of government efficiency, known as Doge. He vowed in April to spend more time working at Tesla.

Meanwhile, Tesla this month denied a report in the Wall Street Journal that some of its board members had reached out to recruiters in searching for a new boss.

The company has faced a backlash over its boss’s support for Donald Trump and outbursts on social media.

Mr Musk told the forum on Tuesday he would significantly pull back from political spending in the future, saying: “I think I’ve done enough.”

The carmaker posted its biggest drop in sales for more than a decade in the first quarter, with the number of vehicles delivered tumbling 13pc to 336,681.

It marked the biggest annual decline in sales since 2012, when the company only sold a handful of cars each month.

His comments come as Tesla’s finance chief was paid a record $139m last year despite collapsing sales at the electric carmaker.

Vaibhav Taneja, who has worked at Tesla since 2017 and took over as chief financial officer in 2023, took home the huge pay cheque thanks to stock options and equity awards linked to his promotion. His base salary stands at $400,000.

The figure eclipses the pay of most chief executives and is thought to be the highest pay for a finance chief since records began in 2006.

Mr Taneja’s rising pay comes even as Mr Musk continues to receive no salary from the carmaker.

The world’s richest man has been locked in a legal battle for seven years over his record-breaking $56bn pay award from Tesla.

A Delaware court has blocked the pay packet due to concerns the figure was excessive and after ruling Tesla had failed to prove it was fair.

Judge Kathaleen McCormick accused Tesla’s board of being too submissive towards Mr Musk, saying they were “like supine servants of an overweening master”.