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Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, one of Tesla’s biggest investors, said Tuesday that it will vote against a proposed compensation package that could pay CEO Elon Musk as much as $1 trillion over a decade. There will be more than a dozen company proposals up for a vote Thursday during Tesla’s annual meeting, but none have generated more division than Musk’s potentially massive pay package. While we appreciate the significant value created under Mr. Musks visionary role, we are concerned about the total size of the award, dilution, and lack of mitigation of key person risk consistent with our views on executive compensation, said Norges Bank Investment Management, which manages the countrys Government Pension Fund Global. We will continue to seek constructive dialogue with Tesla on this and other topics. The fund has a 1.16% stake, the sixth largest holding among institutional investors. Baron Capital Management, which holds about 0.4% of Tesla’s outstanding shares, said Monday that it will vote in favor of the compensation package. Elon is the ultimate ‘key man’ of key man risk. Without his relentless drive and uncompromising standards, there would be no Tesla, wrote founder Ron Baron. He has built one of the most important companies in the world. Hes redefining transportation, energy, and humanoid robotics and creating lasting value for shareholders while doing it. His interests are completely aligned with investors. Musk is the company’s largest investor, holding 15.79% of all outstanding shares. Tesla management has proposed a compensation arrangement that would hand Musk shares worth as much as 12% of the company in a dozen separate packages if the company meets ambitious performance targets, including massive increases in car production, share price, and operating profit.
Category:
E-Commerce
Pizza Hut could soon be up for sale. Yum Brands, Pizza Huts parent company, said Tuesday its conducting a formal review of options for the brand, which has struggled to compete in a crowded pizza market. Yum CEO Chris Turner said Pizza Hut has many strengths, including a global footprint and strong growth in many markets. Pizza Hut has nearly 20,000 stores in more than 100 countries, and its international sales were up 2% in the first nine months of this year. China is its second-largest market outside the U.S. But Pizza Hut gets nearly half its sales from the U.S., where it has around 6,500 stores, and U.S. sales fell 7% in the same period. Pizza Hut was long saddled with large, outdated dine-in restaurants at a time when consumers wanted fast pickup and delivery. In 2020, one of Pizza Hut’s largest franchisees filed for bankruptcy protection and closed 300 stores. Pizza Hut now controls 15.5% of U.S. pizza chain sales, down from 19.4% in 2019, according to Technomic, a food service consulting company. The Pizza Hut team has been working hard to address business and category challenges; however, Pizza Huts performance indicates the need to take additional action to help the brand realize its full value, which may be better executed outside of Yum Brands, Turner said in a statement. To truly take advantage of the brand weve built and the opportunities ahead, weve made the decision to initiate a thorough review of strategic options. Yum has not set a deadline for the completion of the review. The company said it will not make any further comments on the review. Yum Brands shares were up nearly 7% in early afternoon trading Tuesday. The company also owns KFC, Taco Bell, and Habit Burger & Grill. Yum said Tuesday that its third-quarter revenue rose 8% thanks to strong sales at both KFC and Taco Bell. Pizza Hut was founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas, by two brothers who borrowed $600 from their mother to open the store. They chose the name because their sign only had room for eight letters. Pizza Hut’s familiar red roof debuted in 1969, and by 1971, it was the top pizza chain in the world by sales. PepsiCo acquired Pizza Hut in 1977 but spun off its restaurant division which became Yum Brands in 1997. Domino’s, with its focus on delivery and carryout pizza, has since become the world’s largest pizza chain, with 21,750 stores. The news of Pizza Hut’s uncertain future comes the day after another 1950s-era dine-in icon, Denny’s, announced it was being sold to an investor group and taken private. Like Pizza Hut, Denny’s has also struggled with customers’ shift to delivery and growing competition in casual dining options. Dee-Ann Durbin, AP business writer
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E-Commerce
Microdosing isnt just about mushrooms any more. While taking tiny non-psychedelic doses of hallucinogens was once the health craze du jour, small, sub-clinical doses of weight loss drugs have taken over the term microdosing in 2025. Little research has been done on the efficacy of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic when prescribed in smaller doses, but that hasnt stopped the craze from catching on. People are turning to microdosed GLP-1s to manage their weight, stave off side effects and to make the medications more affordable on a long term basis. For telehealth companies cashing in on off-brand formulations of popular weight loss drugs, microdosing is an option theyre eager to pitch. Compounded versions of drugs like Novo Nordisks semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide (Zepbound, Mounjaro) proliferated over the last few years due to a shortage of their name brand counterparts. With those shortages officially over in the U.S. and exact copies of those drugs now banned companies that sell compounded GLP-1s are getting creative to get around the rules. One way to do that is to mix things up a little. Telehealth companies and compounding pharmacies can include the key ingredient in a weight loss drug while customizing it just enough to keep selling it to consumers much to the chagrin of the drugs developers. A knockoff version of Ozempic offered in a smaller dose or formulated with extra vitamins can skirt the FDAs ban on copycat drugs. While these options remain lawful in the U.S. at least for now these creatively formulated drugs still arent subject to the same safety measures and regulations as their name-brand counterparts a fact that doesnt seem to be giving many people pause. From the questions we get and the features people request, it’s clear there’s growing demand for tools that support microdosing and other personalized approaches, Aja Beckett, founder of GLP1 tracking app Shotsy, told Fast Company. That seems driven by a mix of curiosity, cost, and control; people are experimenting to manage side effects, stretch prescriptions, or fine-tune results once they’ve reached their goal weight. Some people are tinkering with their dosage at home, while others rely on clinics and compounding pharmacies marketing custom titration and microdosing options for the smaller doses. It’s a gray area, and the popularity of these programs shows how quickly real-world GLP-1 use is evolving beyond the official guidelines, Beckett said. Big money, tiny doses Telehealths major players have pounced on the microdosing opportunity. The telehealth Noom began marketing smaller doses of the compounded version of Wegovy in May to comply with the FDAs determination that shortages of Wegovy, Ozempic, Zepbound and Mounjaro were over. Noom later launched a full GLP-1 microdosing program for weight loss, recruiting actress Rebel Wilson, now featured prominently on the companys homepage, as its microdosing spokesperson. Noom cites fewer side effects, improved adherence and lower costs in its marketing materials, with plans that start at $99 per month. This approach stays intentionally low, aiming for a personalized balance between results and tolerability, the company states. The goal is to find the lowest effective dose that delivers meaningful weight loss benefits while keeping side effects manageable and costs more affordable. Last month, telehealth giant Hims & Hers introduced its own microdosing treatment plan. In its announcement, the company touted the programs flexibility while cautioning that the off-label use of weight loss drugs is an unexplored frontier that research has yet to catch up to. While GLP-1 microdosing is an early-stage innovation that requires continued study, theres emerging research suggesting that GLP-1s may be valuable beyond traditional weight management, Hims and Hers wrote in the announcement, noting that microdosing plans can minimize side effects and provide a more gentle on-ramp to the class of weight loss drugs. Ro, which boasts Serena Williams as its GLP-1 spokesperson, has an in-depth info page noting some possible benefits and concerns around microdosing, but isnt yet in the business itself. The weight loss industry might be out over its skis on the microdosing craze, but the anecdotal benefits are driving a ton of interest toward smaller, cheaper doses of GLP-1s. My main concern is simply that without research, we don’t yet know which of these approaches are most effective or safe long-term, Beckett told Fast Company. Still, it’s clear that patients want more control and are looking for ways to personalize their care.
Category:
E-Commerce
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