Elon Musk has slammed ING Deutschland after the bank confirmed that it was not offering a way for clients to vote in the upcoming 2025 Tesla Annual Shareholders Meeting.

Musk posted his criticism of the firm in a post on social media platform X. 

Musk’s criticism

Musk’s criticism of ING Deutschland came as a response to the bank’s comment to a Tesla shareholder. The shareholder, Maximilian Auer, noted that he has not received a response from the German bank’s customer support on how he could vote with his TSLA shares. In response to the Auer’s comment, ING Deutschland confirmed that it does not offer such a service.

“We do not offer the proxy voting process or the transmission of a control number. There is no legal obligation to do so for general meetings under foreign law,” ING Deutschland wrote in its post.

The firm’s reply received a lot of criticism from users on X, with many stating that such comments could drive clients away. Elon Musk later weighed in with some strong words of his own, stating that the bank is effectively denying shareholders the ability to vote. “Denying shareholders the ability to vote, as you are doing, certainly should be a crime,” Musk wrote in a post on X.

Tesla’s annual meeting

Tesla’s upcoming annual meeting this year is particularly important as shareholders are voting on the approval of Elon Musk’s new CEO performance award. The pay package, which could pave the way for Musk to become a trillionaire, is also designed to increase his stake in the electric vehicle maker to 25%. This, Musk stated, should prevent activist shareholder advisory firms to disrupt the company.

Tesla highlighted the importance of this year’s annual meeting in a post on X. 

“We pay for outstanding performance – not for promises. In 2018, shareholders approved a groundbreaking CEO Performance Award that delivered extraordinary value. At our Annual Meeting on November 6, Tesla shareholders can vote on a pay-for-performance plan designed to drive our next era of transformational growth and value creation. Seven years ago, Elon Musk had to deliver billions to shareholders – now it’s trillions.

“This plan creates a path for Elon to secure voting rights and will retain him as a leader of the company for many years to come. But as explained below, Elon only receives voting rights after he has delivered economic value to you. Your vote matters. Vote ‘FOR’ Proposal 4!” Tesla wrote in its post on X. 

Elon Musk has stated that his artificial intelligence startup xAI is developing “Grokipedia,” a knowledge platform he noted will be a “massive improvement” over Wikipedia. 

The move came after Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger raised concerns over the site’s editorial practices and the exclusion of some conservative media outlets from its list of reliable sources.

Wikipedia’s blacklist debate

Sanger, speaking on the Tucker Carlson Show, highlighted Wikipedia’s “Reliable sources/Perennial sources” page, which categorizes publications into tiers of credibility. He noted that conservative outlets such as Fox News, the Daily Caller, and the New York Post were effectively blacklisted, while more liberal outlets such as The New York Times, CNN, Mother Jones, and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation are treated as reliable.

Sanger also posted on X that 85% of Wikipedia’s most influential editorial accounts are anonymous, a group he dubbed the “Power 62.” Musk amplified this claim, writing, “Curiouser and curiouser.” He also joked that Wikipedia should be renamed “Wokipedia,” echoing complaints that the platform has leaned progressively towards the political left in recent years, as noted in a Washington Examiner report.

Musk positions Grokipedia as alternative

Responding to Sanger’s criticism, Musk stated that “Grokipedia” would serve as a step toward xAI’s broader goal of “understanding the Universe.” He suggested the new platform will provide broader sourcing and a freer exchange of information compared to Wikipedia’s current system.

The announcement is Musk’s latest foray into the information and media space. After acquiring Twitter in 2022 and rebranding it as X in 2023, Musk has repeatedly emphasized free speech and alternative narratives as central to X. Earlier this year, xAI formally acquired X in an all-stock deal, aligning his AI venture with the social media platform.

Tesla has achieved a notable milestone in Turkey, just three years after the company started vehicle deliveries in the country.

The feat was announced by the electric vehicle maker’s official account on social media platform X. 

More than 50,000 Tesla owners

In a post, the official Tesla Europe and Middle East account noted that in just three years, there are now more than 50,000 owners in Turkey. Tesla posted a photo of its 50,000th vehicle delivery in its post, a black new Model Y unit. 

“There are now more than 50k Tesla owners in Türkiye, less than 3 years after we delivered our first car in the country,” Tesla Europe and Middle East stated in its X post. 

The milestone reflects Tesla’s surging momentum in Turkey, which was highlighted by the company’s impressive sales figures in August 2025. 

Tesla Turkey’s momentum

Tesla sold 8,730 Model Y vehicles in Turkey during August, an 86% jump compared to July. That volume represented nearly half of all EVs sold in the country for the month, cementing Tesla’s leadership in the Turkish electric vehicle market.

The sales surge placed Tesla ahead of almost every competitor, with only Renault managing higher volumes. Rival BYD was the second-best-selling EV brand in Turkey during the same period, with just 1,639 units sold.

Tesla’s growth in Turkey is boosted by the country’s tax structure. Electric cars benefit from lower Special Consumption Tax rates, which range from 25% to 170% depending on power output. This is significantly less than the 70% to 220% levied on gas-powered vehicles. EV buyers also receive exemptions from the Motor Vehicle Tax for their first ten years of ownership, and credits can provide up to $30,000 in savings.