Month: October 2025

• A group of Tesla investors is pushing back against Elon Musk’s $1 trillion pay package.
• Unions and state treasurers warned that the deal doesn’t do enough to keep Musk focused on Tesla.
• Tesla’s board argues that if Elon Musk doesn’t deliver, he gets nothing.

Not all of Tesla’s investors are on board with CEO Elon Musk’s $1 trillion pay package.

In a letter sent on Thursday, a group of unions, state treasurers, and institutional investors urged Tesla shareholders not to vote for the mammoth pay deal.

The investor group includes SOC Investment Group, the American Federation of Teachers, and Brad Lander, the New York City Comptroller, who have all previously criticized Tesla’s board.

Their letter attacks the EV giant’s governing body as insufficiently independent from Musk, and says that the performance goals of the billionaire’s compensation package are vague and not as demanding as they initially appear.

Tesla unveiled the proposed $1 trillion pay package last month, and shareholders will vote on whether to approve it at the company’s general meeting in November.

For Musk to access the full payout, he needs to grow Tesla’s market cap to $8.5 trillion over the next decade and hit a series of ambitious product milestones.

These include boosting annual earnings to $400 billion a year, building a million Optimus robots, and delivering around 12 million EVs by 2035 — an average of 1.2 million a year, which the letter points out is well below the total Tesla sold in 2024.

The shareholder group criticized Tesla’s board for not securing a commitment from Musk, who runs multiple companies, to “devote his attention” to Tesla, and warned that the pay package could lead to share dilution for Tesla shareholders.

The letter also pointed to the EV giant’s volatile performance, with sales and revenue both slumping in the first half of the year amid rising competition and backlash over Musk’s political activities.

Tesla’s sales bounced back in a big way in the third quarter, with the company announcing record quarterly deliveries on Thursday.

Tesla’s board responded to some of the points raised by the investors in a post on X, arguing that the compensation package creates trillions of dollars of value for shareholders and will accelerate global prosperity.

“If Elon Musk doesn’t deliver results, he receives nothing,” the company said.

• Chipotle is betting big on bold new flavors, adding two proteins and two sauces to its menu this year.
• The changes come as the chain has faced two consecutive quarters of declining sales.
• Chipotle’s chief brand officer said the company is leaning into global flavors to court younger fans.

Chipotle is betting that bold new flavors can do what burritos and slop bowls alone no longer can: bring customers back.

The chain is leaning hard into limited-time proteins, new sauces, and global twists to spice up its slowing business.

“Nothing brings new people into Chipotle or reminds existing people to come to Chipotle again, like new items,” Chris Brandt, president and chief brand officer at Chipotle, told Business Insider.

This year, Chipotle has launched two proteins as limited-time offerings: new honey chipotle chicken in March and the return of carne asada in September. As for its limited-time sauces, the fast-casual Mexican grill restaurant debuted adobo ranch in June, followed by a smoky red chimichurri sauce in September.

The new menu innovations come as Chipotle has faced two consecutive quarters of declining sales. The entire fast-casual sector has taken a hit this year, with consumers pulling back on spending and seeking out more value-driven meal deals. Laurie Schalow, Chipotle’s chief corporate affairs officer, in September told Business Insider that the company’s health remains very strong.

In response, Chipotle’s strategy has been to double down on offering attractive new menu items to coax cost-conscious customers back — and try to court young consumers to become lifelong fans.

“Sauces are an easy way and a low-risk way — as people are a little bit pressed for money — to be adventurous, but with affordable innovation, I would call it,” Brandt said.

He said young consumers are embracing international food and “looking for something a little bit different, maybe more than any generation before them.”

In addition to the new menu items, Chipotle also launched a line of dorm room merchandise this year in collaboration with Urban Outfitters and a loyalty program geared toward college students.

The California-based company is innovating beyond its home turf, too. Its limited-time offerings are available in Canada. The company also said earlier this month it would expand into Asian markets for the first time, opening restaurants in Singapore and South Korea with its full US menu.

While Chipotle’s staple menu items remain the same across markets, Brandt said the company will consider regional offerings in the future.

“We believe that Chipotle’s menu translates really well across all of those different markets,” Brandt said. “So we don’t feel the need to do a lot of localization — there might be some of that as we continue to expand, but we like to go right out the gate and prove that what people love about Chipotle here is going to be the same in a lot of different places.”

• Myra Deshmukh worked at Amazon for over a decade and taught a business writing course to other employees.
• She shares seven tips for improving email communication, including being concise and avoiding emojis.
• She says that good communication, including effective email skills, can enhance career progression.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Myra Deshmukh, the 39-year-old founder of Leadership Lab and a former Amazon employee living in Montclair, New Jersey. It has been edited for length and clarity.

In the 10 ½ years I worked at Amazon, I held many different titles. My last role was senior manager of learning and development programs, and one of my tasks was to teach a business writing course to thousands of Amazon employees.

Overall, Amazon has a very heavy writing culture, so we write a lot of documents, emails, memos, press releases, and FAQs.

The course I taught was a six-week foundations course in business writing 101, and covered how to write concisely, tell compelling stories, and structure writing — from Slack chats and emails to a six-pager.

Email is one of the primary ways we communicate today, and how you show up in an email can make a real difference in how others perceive you.

Here are seven things you can try in order to improve your email communication.

1. Choose a specific and helpful subject line

The subject line is incredibly important; it lets the reader know the purpose of your email, and is the first impression they get of you.

When writing one, make it as specific and helpful as possible.

If it’s just for their information, include “FYI” in the subject. If action is required, add the deadline or the task itself so the recipient immediately understands the urgency and intention of your message.

For example, a good subject line is: Marketing Proposal – Feedback Needed by 8/13. A bad example is: Marketing Proposal Draft.

2. Make a good impression with your greeting

Second to the subject line, a greeting is one of the first impressions somebody will have of you. You don’t want it to be the reason that someone has a negative perception of you.

If you want to come off as professional or neutral, use “hi” or “hello.” It’s the most neutral greeting and is the least likely to be misunderstood by your recipient.

I avoid using “Dear ___,” in work situations, as it’s a very personal greeting, like something I’d use when writing to a close relative. I also wouldn’t use “hey,” as it’s very casual and can come across as too informal to different generations or cultures.

Not using a greeting and just writing their name could be perceived as too curt.

After the initial correspondence, it can be appropriate to drop the greeting when responding to an email.

But tailor to your audience; if it’s with my manager, I may drop the greeting to answer their questions directly, but if it’s with my skip level or higher, I may keep the greeting for some formality and respect.

3. Be concise and know your objective

Before writing an email, you should know the purpose of what you’re writing; your email should be concise and specific. You should have one objective, not a million.

This might look like: “Hi name, I hope you’re well today. Can you give me feedback on this proposal by the end of the day tomorrow?” From there, you can provide context.

By writing it this way, you’re not leaving people to read through and figure out the point of the email.

The bulk of your email should fit into your iPhone screen, and the general gist of your email should just be one scroll. This is especially true if you’re writing for an ask, for feedback, or something that you need somebody to reply to.

4. Don’t use filler words or phrases

We use filler words or phrases to soften the ask, or to make an email more personal, but it really just comes across as less confident.

These might read, “I’m writing you because I’m hoping…” or, “I’m wondering if you can…”

Instead, try: “Can you send me feedback on this marketing proposal by the end of the day, [insert date],” and then add some context. This way, it becomes more of an action or direct ask, versus a passive statement.

If it’s not an ask, but rather, you’re telling someone information, you could say, “The marketing campaign that we ran last week was very successful; it exceeded our revenue goal.”

Some people use filler words to be kind, but you can balance being kind with being concise. You can include a short intro, like, “Hope you had a great weekend,” but don’t make it so long that it distracts from the purpose of your email.

Most people are busy and want you to get to the point of what you’re asking.

5. Avoid using emojis

When it comes to emailing someone, I’d suggest staying away from emojis for the same reason you avoid language that’s too casual — it can be misinterpreted.

For example, you might send a winky face with a completely platonic intention, but the person reading it could think, “Why are they winking at me? That’s creepy.”

You just never know with emojis, so I’d recommend staying away from them. It’s very hard to read tone over email, harmless emojis included.

6. Using exclamation points is fine — but don’t overdo it

I think punctuation like exclamation points is fine in an email if you’re trying to convey excitement or enthusiasm. That said, don’t overuse them. Use one.

For example, “We’re so excited about tomorrow’s launch!” is totally appropriate, but “We’re so excited about tomorrow’s launch!!!” isn’t necessary.

Use your judgment on how many you need for the whole email. As with any special formatting, use it intentionally. If every sentence in your email has an exclamation, it loses emphasis.

It’s the same with bolding; if everything is bolded, nothing stands out.

7. Don’t be afraid to follow up

After sending your original email, it’s appropriate to follow up after the date you asked them for feedback by.

You could say, “Hey, just following up on this, I would love your feedback.”

If you weren’t clear about when you needed an answer, you might write: “Hi. I just realized I didn’t send you a deadline. I would love the feedback by tomorrow, if you can.”

People fear being annoying, but if you think about all the emails you get, of course, a few might slip by that you forget to reply to. Putting yourself in the other person’s shoes, you realize a reminder isn’t annoying — it can be really helpful.

Communication is an essential skill for progressing your career

When writing an email, you should always write it as if it’s going to be forwarded to that person’s boss. Even if you’re friends, you don’t want to come off too casual or inappropriate.

Good communication helps you be seen as a great leader at work and makes you more likely to get promoted.

If you have to invest in one skill to enhance your career, invest in clear, effective communication — and that includes email.

Do you have a story to share about unique strategies you used to get promoted? Contact this editor, Jane Zhang, at janezhang@businessinsider.com.