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[1/3] Tesla's new Cybertruck is shown on display at a Tesla store in San Diego, California, U.S., November 20, 2023. Cybertruck, Tesla's first new model in nearly four years, is critical to its reputation as a maker of innovative vehicles. "We dug our own grave with Cybertruck," Musk said last month, warning that it would take a year to 18 months to make the vehicle a significant cash flow contributor. The billionaire has said Tesla was likely to reach a production rate of roughly 250,000 Cybertrucks a year in 2025. Tesla has faced "enormous challenges in reaching volume production" with the Cybertruck because of its new technology and design, Musk said.

Persons: Mike Blake, Elon Musk, Tesla's, Musk, Tesla, Eric Noble, Rivian, R1T, Rivian's R1T, Ford's, Seth Goldstein, Paul Waatti, Akash Sriram, Hyunjoo Jin, Sayantani Ghosh, Bill Berkrot Organizations: REUTERS, New York Times, Dodge, Ford, General Motors, Hummer, Morningstar, Thomson Locations: San Diego , California, U.S, Bengaluru, Hyunjoo, San Francisco

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 29 (Reuters) - Microsoft will take a non-voting, observer position on OpenAI's board, CEO Sam Altman said in his first official missive after taking back the reins of the company on Wednesday. The observer position means Microsoft's representative can attend OpenAI's board meetings and access confidential information, but it does not have voting rights on matters including electing or choosing directors. The new OpenAI board is on an active search for six new members with expertise in fields from technology to safety and policy. OpenAI's chief scientist Ilya Sutskever will no longer be part of the board, Altman said. Apart from Altman, Brockman, Sutskever, D'Angelo, OpenAI's previous board consisted of entrepreneur Tasha McCauley, Helen Toner, director of strategy at Georgetown's Center for Security and Emerging Technology.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Sam Altman, Satya Nadella, Altman, OpenAI, Bret Taylor, Larry Summers, Adam D'Angelo, Mira Murati, Greg Brockman, Greg, Ilya Sutskever, Sutskever, Ilya, Brockman, D'Angelo, OpenAI's, Tasha McCauley, Helen Toner, Akanksha, Krystal Hu, Sayantani Ghosh, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, Microsoft, U.S . Treasury, Reuters, Georgetown's Center for Security, Emerging Technology, Thomson Locations: OpenAI, Bengaluru, New York, San Francisco

The San Francisco skyline is seen behind a self-driving GM Bolt EV during a media event where Cruise, GM's autonomous car unit, showed off its self-driving cars in San Francisco, California, U.S. November 28, 2017. Cruise had in recent months touted ambitious plans to expand to more cities, offering fully autonomous taxi rides. GM lost more than $700 million at Cruise in the third quarter and more than $8 billion since 2016. Cruise has operations in Phoenix and Austin, where regulators have been more accommodating. As part of its previous expansion plans, Cruise had last year asked the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for permission to deploy up to 2,500 self-driving vehicles annually without human controls.

Persons: Elijah Nouvelage, Kyle Vogt, Daniel Kan, Cruise, Paul Jacobson, Mary Barra, Morgan Stanley, Adam Jonas, Waymo, Samrhitha, David Shepardson, Joe White, Sayantani Ghosh, Arun Koyyur Organizations: San, GM Bolt, REUTERS, General Motors, Cruise, GM, Reuters, United Auto Workers, FRANCISCO GM, Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, San Francisco , California, U.S, California, United States, Washington, Phoenix, Austin, Bengaluru, Detroit

A smartphone with a displayed NVIDIA logo is placed on a computer motherboard in this illustration taken March 6, 2023. But the red-hot market for AI chips is playing out in the context of vastly expanded U.S. export controls on what Nvidia can sell to China. Jacob Bourne, analyst at Insider Intelligence, said that those China-focused chips could consume vital research resources at Nvidia for products that could end up banned just like its first round of China market chips. Rival Advanced Micro Devices (AMD.O) had earlier touted the quantity of high-bandwidth memory on one of its competing AI chips. Chinese tech company Huawei's (HWT.UL) AI chip is also gaining traction from local firms as U.S. pressure makes it hard to access Nvidia chips.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Nvidia, Jesse Cohen, Colette Kress, Jacob Bourne, Bourne, Chavi Mehta, Max A, Stephen Nellis, Arun Koyyur, Sayantani Ghosh, Matthew Lewis Organizations: NVIDIA, REUTERS, Wall, Nvidia, LSEG, Insider Intelligence, Devices, Google, Microsoft, San, Thomson Locations: China, Israel, Gaza, United States, Bengaluru, Max, San Francisco

The Transamerica Pyramid building is seen as tourists ride a cable car in downtown San Francisco, California, U.S., July 7, 2023. San Francisco has been waging for years a multi-pronged war on drugs and related crime, homelessness and unaffordable housing. "They do this for the Superbowl, they do this for conferences ... but nothing ends homelessness like a home," Boden said. The city has a homelessness rate of 887 people per 100,000 residents, according to a 2023 report from the San Francisco controller's office on 16 American cities. Reporting by Peter Henderson and Anna Tong in San Francisco; Editing by Sayantani Ghosh and Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Carlos Barria, Joe Biden's, Christopher Crandall, he'd, He'd, Gavin Newsom, Biden, China's Xi, Paul Boden, " Boden, Tesla, Elon Musk, Trevor Chandler, I’ve, Peter Henderson, Anna Tong, Sayantani Ghosh, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, FRANCISCO, Economic Cooperation, United Nations, Police, APEC, Western Regional Advocacy, San, Fox News, Twitter, Thomson Locations: San Francisco , California, U.S, Asia, San Francisco, California, Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles

These are then smuggled into the United States, the officials say. Last month, the United States imposed sanctions on 28 people and entities involved with the international proliferation of illicit drugs, including a large China-based network. Biden is also due to meet with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in San Francisco. In San Francisco, state and local officials have tried to clean up drugs from the city's streets, with limited success. "We know San Francisco - and cities across the United States - will benefit from more targeting of the trafficking and production of fentanyl worldwide," a spokesperson for Breed said in a statement.

Persons: Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Biden, Xi, Mike Odeh, Jake Sullivan, Washington, General Merrick Garland, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Alicia Barcena, Brooke Jenkins, Mayor London Breed, Breed, Michael Martina, Sayantani Ghosh, Michelle Nichols, Josie Kao Organizations: Customs, Port, U.S . Customs, FRANCISCO, U.S, Economic Cooperation, United, city's, APEC, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, . National, Washington, Biden, Institute of Forensic Science, China's Ministry of Public Security, Commerce, San Francisco . Mexican Foreign, Mayor London, Thomson Locations: Arizona, Mexico, Nogales , Arizona, U.S, Asia, Pacific, San Francisco, United States, China, CHINA, MEXICO, Washington, San Francisco . Mexican, Francisco's

☆ Amazon cuts jobs in games unit, part of broader restructuring
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Greg Bensinger | Thomson Reuters | Greg Bensinger Joined Reuters As A Technology Correspondent In Focusing On The World'S Largest Technology Companies. He Was Previously A Member Of The New York Times Editorial Board | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol Acquire Licensing RightsNov 13 (Reuters) - Amazon.com (AMZN.O) has cut around 180 jobs in its games division, at least the second round of cuts in under a week, as part of a broader restructuring, according to an email viewed on Monday by Reuters. It represents the second cut to the division this year. Amazon last week also began cutting jobs in its streaming music and podcast division, according to people familiar with the matter. The games division offers downloadable versions of many video games, on a monthly rotation, as well as some Twitch channels and other services. In April, Amazon cut about 100 jobs in the games unit.

Persons: Pascal Rossignol, Christoph Hartmann, Hartmann, We've, Greg Bensinger, Sayantani Ghosh Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Amazon Games, Amazon, Technology, Gaming, Thomson Locations: Lauwin, France, Seattle, United States

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 9 (Reuters) - OpenAI's announcement on artificial intelligence "apps" do not spell the death knell for nascent startups building AI products, two OpenAI investors said at a Reuters NEXT conference on Thursday. Investors are still hunting for new AI products that could help consumers interact better with the technology and address deep tech issues such as brain computer interface, they said. We're in an intermediary step in a decades-long revolution," Konstantine Buhler, partner at Sequoia Capital, told the conference. Avery Klemmer, investor at Thrive Capital, which recently increased its investment in OpenAI, also said she sees opportunities for the rise of consumer applications beside ChatGPT. Despite recent frenzied investments into the technology by companies and venture capital firms, analysts and investors say development of AI products is still in the early stages.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Konstantine Buhler, Avery Klemmer, ChatGPT, Klemmer, Jill Chase, Krystal Hu, Sayantani Ghosh, Deepa Babington Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters NEXT, Sequoia Capital, Sequoia, Microsoft, Thomson Locations: OpenAI, New York

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 9 (Reuters) - OpenAI's announcement on artificial intelligence "apps" do not spell the death knell for nascent startups building AI products, two OpenAI investors said at a Reuters NEXT conference on Thursday. Investors are still hunting for new AI products that could help consumers interact better with the technology and address deep tech issues such as brain computer interface, they said. We're in an intermediary step in a decades-long revolution," Konstantine Buhler, partner at Sequoia Capital, told the conference. Avery Klemmer, partner at Thrive Capital, which recently increased its investment in OpenAI, also said she sees opportunities for the rise of consumer applications beside ChatGPT. Despite recent frenzied investments into the technology by companies and venture capital firms, analysts and investors say development of AI products is still in the early stages.

☆ Biden backs Tesla, Toyota unionization, slams Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Nandita Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

BELVIDERE, Illinois, Nov 9 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden on Thursday backed the United Auto Workers' efforts to unionize carmakers Tesla (TSLA.O) and Toyota (7203.T) and asked auto workers to reject his Republican opponent, Donald Trump. En route to the event, Biden told reporters that he “absolutely” supports the UAW's efforts to unionize Tesla and Toyota workers. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the remark by Biden, who has backed UAW efforts in other speeches. Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, visited a nonunion factory in Michigan in September while Biden joined a picket line with striking UAW workers, Biden reminded workers. MUSK'S ANTI-UNION STANCEBiden's comments may renew friction between the U.S. president and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, especially as the UAW seeks to organize Tesla workers.

Persons: Joe Biden, carmakers Tesla, Donald Trump, Biden, Shawn Fain, unionize Tesla, Tesla, Trump, Fain, Elon Musk, Musk, Biden sparred, UAW's Fain, Mark Burton, Gretchen Whitmer, Burton, Nandita Bose, Susan Heavey, David Shepardson, Sayantani Ghosh, Steve Holland, Heather Timmons, Ben Klayman, Matthew Lewis Organizations: United Auto Workers, Toyota, Republican, UAW, Democratic, Union, U.S, nonunion, GM, National Labor Relations Board, NLRB, Trump, Labor, Biden, General Motors, Ford, Dodge, Michigan, San, Thomson Locations: BELVIDERE , Illinois, Belvidere , Illinois, Belvidere ., Michigan, U.S, Georgetown , Kentucky, Tesla’s Fremont , California, Honigman, Washington, San Francisco

Toy figures of people are seen in front of the displayed Disney + logo, in this illustration taken January 20, 2022. For the fiscal fourth quarter ended Sept. 30, Disney reported adjusted per-share earnings of 82 cents, topping an average forecast of 70 cents, according to LSEG data. The company said it added nearly 7 million Disney+ streaming subscribers in the quarter, with the inclusion of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. Disney+ and Disney+ Hotstar together boast 150.2 million subscribers, ahead of Visible Alpha's estimate of 147.4 million. "Our results this quarter reflect the significant progress we've made over the past year," Iger said in a statement.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Walt Disney, Bob, Kevin Lansberry, Iger, Disney, Nelson Peltz, Trian, Paolo Pescatore, Paul Verna, Verna, We've, Dawn Chmielewski, Lisa Richwine, Chavi Mehta, Peter Henderson, Sayantani Ghosh, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, ABC, Disney, Guardians, Trian, Management, Warner Bros Discovery, SAG, Insider Intelligence, Hulu, ESPN, Shanghai Disney, Walt Disney, Disney's Entertainment, Star, Big Ten, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, Hong Kong, Florida, India, Los Angeles, Bengaluru

A woman looks at a new iPhone 15 Pro and a Huawei Mate 60 Pro as Apple's new iPhone 15 officially goes on sale across China, at an Apple store in Shanghai, China September 22, 2023. Research firm Canalys estimated that overall smartphone sales in China fell 3% in July-September from a year earlier as consumers bought fewer smartphones as an economic recovery was choppy. On the other hand, analysts estimate that Huawei's China smartphone sales grew strongly in the quarter. Apple said on Thursday that its overall sales in China dipped 2.5% but it blamed tough Mac computer and iPad sales for that. Aggressive discounting on the iPhone 15 series in the run up to the annual Singles Day shopping festival by major Chinese online retailers is also encouraging demand.

Persons: Aly, Tim Cook, Apple, Cook, Canalys, Apple's, Huawei's, Yuvraj Malik, Bengaluru ， Stephen Nellis, Yelin, Arsheeya Bajwa, Harshita Varghese, Sayantani Ghosh, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Huawei, Apple, REUTERS, Huawei Technologies, Reuters, Research, HK, Taobao, Pro Max, Qualcomm, Thomson Locations: China, Shanghai, Bengaluru ，, San Francisco, Yelin Mo, Beijing, Bengaluru

Apple shares, which have risen 37% so far this year, dropped 3.4% after-hours, following the forecast. Maestri said Apple expects to have higher iPhone sales for the fiscal first quarter, even though this year's holiday quarter has one fewer week of sales than the year-ago. Cook said the company's new high-end handset models - the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max devices - are facing supply constraints. Apple's sales in China fell to $15.08 billion from $15.47 billion in the fourth quarter a year ago. Cook said that after accounting for foreign-exchange rates, Apple's business in China grew year-over-year, driven by iPhone sales and services revenue.

Persons: Tim Cook, Apple, Cook, Luca Maestri, Bob O'Donnell, Davidson, Tom Forte, Aly, Max, Nabila Popal, Lionel Messi, Stephen Nellis, Yuvraj Malik, Sayantani Ghosh, Peter Henderson, Matthew Lewis, Leslie Adler Organizations: Huawei, Apple, TECHnalysis Research, Mac, REUTERS, Huawei Technologies, U.S, Reuters, Pro, Apple Watch, Thomson Locations: China, Cupertino , California, Shanghai, San Francisco, Bengaluru

[1/2] A smartphone with displayed "Disney" logo is seen on the keyboard in this illustration taken March 24, 2020. Disney said it expected to pay NBCUniversal (NBCU) parent Comcast about $8.61 billion by Dec. 1. Hulu had 48.3 million subscribers at the end of Disney's third quarter, compared with 28 million paid subscribers for Comcast's Peacock streaming service at the end of Comcast's third quarter. Disney+ had 146.1 million global subscribers at the end of Disney's third quarter. If the value is determined to be greater than the guaranteed floor value, Disney will pay NBCU the difference.

Persons: Dado, Walt Disney, Disney, Bob Iger, Goldman Sachs, Brian Roberts, Dawn Chmielewski, Helen Coster, Sriraj Kalluvila, Sayantani Ghosh, Jamie Freed Organizations: REUTERS, ANGELES, Wednesday, Disney, Comcast, Hulu, Goldman, Thomson Locations: Hulu, Burbank , California, U.S, Los Angeles, New York

A public deal announcement with Stellantis is expected later Saturday afternoon or early evening, the sources said. Stellantis shuttered its assembly plant in Belvidere, Illinois, early this year, leaving 1,300 workers without jobs. The tentative contract deal will have provisions on the use of temporary workers, the sources said, adding Stellantis has agreed to significant investment. Fain and other senior union leaders are briefing local UAW chiefs by video conference, the sources said. The deal is also expected to include investments in other U.S. plants, including the Trenton engine plant, the sources said.

Persons: Stellantis, Shawn Fain, Biden, Fain, Tesla, Ford, Joe Biden, David Shepardson, Joseph White, Sayantani Ghosh, David Gregorio, Peter Henderson Organizations: United Auto Workers, Chrysler, Detroit Three, UAW, Ford, GM, Detroit, Detroit automakers, EV, Toyota, Kentucky, Korean, buildouts, U.S, Republican, Thomson Locations: Belvidere , Illinois, Illinois, U.S, Trenton, Detroit, Arlington , Texas, Tahoe, Sterling Heights , Michigan, Hollywood, Michigan

[1/2] United Auto Workers (UAW) union members picket outside Ford's Kentucky truck plant after going on strike in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. October 12, 2023. Total economic losses from the auto workers' strike have reached $9.3 billon, the Anderson Economic Group said earlier this week. Getting the deal ratified will be up to Fain and UAW leaders, and that is not assured. UAW workers at the company now called Stellantis rejected a proposal endorsed by UAW leaders in 2015. UAW leaders feared that the automakers would cut jobs at combustion engine factories and shift work to non-union joint venture battery plants or overseas suppliers.

Persons: Luke Sharrett, Shawn Fain, Ford, Sam Fiorani, Stellantis, Joe Biden, Fain, Donald Trump, Mrinmay Dey, Peter Henderson, Abhirup Roy, Shailesh Kuber, Sayantani Ghosh, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: United Auto Workers, UAW, REUTERS, Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, Stellantis, GM, AutoForecast Solutions, CNBC, Anderson Economic Group, Detroit, U.S, Republican, Mack, EV, Detroit Three, Toyota, Tesla, Hyundai, Thomson Locations: Ford's Kentucky, Louisville , Kentucky, U.S, Arlington , Texas, Kentucky, Sterling Heights , Michigan, Detroit, Michigan, United States, Bengaluru

The UAW said another 5,000 workers are going on strike, bringing the total number of UAW members on strike at the Big Three automakers to over 45,000, on day 40 of the strike. The workers took the strike to Arlington Assembly, home to some of GM's most profitable vehicles, the Chevy Tahoe, Chevy Suburban, GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade. The union's strategy of targeted strikes has throttled billions in revenue for the Detroit Three while requiring fewer than half the 150,000 UAW members at the companies to forgo pay and walk picket lines. "It's time GM workers, and the whole working class, get their fair share." But he told UAW members "there is more to be won".

Persons: Rebecca Cook, Stellantis, we've, Shawn Fain, Fain, Harley Shaiken, Mary Barra, David Shepardson, Joe White, Ben Klayman, Sayantani Ghosh, Chizu Nomiyama, Peter Henderson Organizations: General Motors, REUTERS, United Auto Workers, UAW, Big, Arlington Assembly, Chevy Tahoe, Chevy, GMC Yukon, Cadillac, Kentucky, Chrysler, Detroit, EV, Ford, Korean, University of California, GM, Anderson Economic, Thomson Locations: Detroit , Michigan, U.S, Texas, Cadillac Escalade, F.N, Sterling Heights, Mich, University of California Berkeley, Arlington, Detroit

Microsoft's chief financial officer Amy Hood said on a conference call with analysts that higher-than-expected AI consumption was responsible for a 3 percentage point boost to its cloud business. Alphabet has prioritized snaring AI startups as customers for its cloud division, while Microsoft has relied on its existing relationships to secure larger customers. Azure revenue rose 29%, higher than a 26.2% growth estimate from market research firm Visible Alpha. RBC Capital Markets has previously estimated that Microsoft will clock over $3 billion in revenue from generative AI offerings this fiscal year. Quite surprising to see strong growth reacceleration in the Azure Cloud segment, which is clearly driven by AI-as-a-service related demand," said Global X analyst Tejas Dessai.

Persons: Microsoft's, Bob O'Donnell, Bing, Bard, Amy Hood, Krishna Chintalapalli, capex, Akash Sriram, Anna Tong, Max Cherney, Yuvraj Malik, Greg Bensinger, Stephen Nellis, Sayantani Ghosh, Sonali Paul Organizations: Microsoft, Wall, Microsoft's, TECHnalysis, Parnassus Investments, DAZZLES, Alpha, RBC Capital Markets, Reuters Graphics Microsoft, Tejas Dessai, AWS, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru, Anna, San Francisco

While enterprise demand stabilized for legacy products, that has not extended to cloud computing, the mainstay for Microsoft and Amazon. Alphabet and Meta are set to benefit from an uptick in digital ad sales ahead of the holiday-shopping season. Last month, media research and investment firm Magna raised its forecast for U.S. ad spending growth to 5.2%, from 4.2%, for calendar 2023. Reuters GraphicsAmazon, however, is expected to be shielded by strong retail sales, thanks to a strong labor market. Meta reports on Wednesday and Apple will round off Big Tech earnings with results next week, on Nov. 2.

Persons: Gil Luria, It's, Rishi Jaluria, Yuvraj Malik, Zaheer Kachwala, Sayantani Ghosh, Savio D'Souza Organizations: Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, D.A, RBC Capital, Nvidia, RBC, Google Services, Magna, Amazon Web Services, Reuters Graphics, Big Tech, Thomson Locations: Davidson, Bengaluru

Fain confirmed the Detroit Three had converged on a 23% wage hike offer and made progress on other issues. But he told UAW members "there is more to be won". While warning of possible expanded strikes, Fain also told UAW members the talks were closing in on an end. Walkouts began at the three automakers on Sept. 15 and now more than 34,000 union members are waging the UAW's first simultaneous strikes against the Detroit Three. Fain declared "the days of the UAW and Ford being a team to fight other companies are over."

Persons: Rebecca Cook, Shawn Fain, we've, Fain, Walkouts, Bill Ford, Henry Ford, Ford, Tesla, Stellantis, Joseph White, Ben Klayman, Pratyush Thakur, Sayantani Ghosh, Sriraj Kalluvila, Peter Henderson, David Gregorio Our Organizations: General Motors, REUTERS, Rights, United Auto Workers, Detroit Three, UAW, Chrysler, Detroit, Ford, GM, Toyota, Anderson Economic, Thomson Locations: Detroit , Michigan, U.S, Ford's, Kentucky, Detroit, Bengaluru

Fain acknowledged some union members want to vote on the offers the union bargainers have in hand. He urged UAW members not to give in to what he called "fear, uncertainty, doubt and division" sowed by the companies. More than 34,000 union members working at the three automakers are on strike since the walkouts began on Sept. 15. The demand included a 20% immediate increase, elimination of different pay scales among UAW workers and restoration of defined benefit pension plans. The GM offer "suggests we may be in the endgame," said University of California Berkeley labor professor Harley Shaiken.

Persons: Rebecca Cook, Shawn Fain, Fain, General Motors GM.N, Harley Shaiken, Ford, We've, Stellantis, Ford hasn't, Shaiken, it's, Tesla, Bill Ford, Joseph White, Ben Klayman, Pratyush Thakur, Sayantani Ghosh, Sriraj Kalluvila, Peter Henderson, David Gregorio Our Organizations: General Motors, REUTERS, Rights, United Auto Workers, UAW, General, Chrysler, GM, Ford, Bloomberg News, Detroit Three, of California, Ford's, Toyota, Anderson Economic, Detroit, Thomson Locations: Detroit , Michigan, U.S, of California Berkeley, Kentucky, Arlington , Texas, Detroit, Bengaluru

☆ Elon Musk on interest rates, uncertainty and Tesla's costs
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes Acquire Licensing RightsOct 18 (Reuters) - Tesla (TSLA.O) CEO Elon Musk spent much of a call with analysts and investors on the electric car maker's earnings discussing what he sees as the risks from high interest rates, consumer uncertainty and the "paycheck-to-paycheck" pressures on American workers. Here are some of his quotes on those issues:On interest rates and the affordability of EVs:"A large number of people are living paycheck-to-paycheck and with a lot of debt. They've got credit card debt, mortgage debt. "If our car cost the same as a (Toyota) RAV4, no one would buy a RAV4, or, at least, they would be very unlikely to." You know, credit card interest rates are usurious with over 20% interest rates, which, over time becomes extremely punishing."

Persons: Elon Musk, Porte, Gonzalo Fuentes, They've, you’ve, Marie Antoinette, Kevin Krolicki, Sayantani Ghosh Organizations: SpaceX, Tesla, Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Toyota, Thomson Locations: Paris, France

"If interest rates remain high ... it's that much harder for people to buy the car. The price of the popular Model Y SUV was "almost unchanged" for consumers even after Tesla's price cuts, Musk said, accounting for higher financing costs. Reuters GraphicsPRICE CUTSTesla's aggressive price cuts this year have battered its gross margin even as it faces stiff competition in China from local automakers. Still, it stuck to its annual production target of 1.8 million cars, a sign that the price cuts were buoying demand to an extent. In the second quarter, Tesla had posted a gross margin of 18.2%.

Persons: Matthew Childs, Elon Musk, Musk, Tesla, Jesse Cohen, Akash Sriram, Hyunjoo Jin, Joe White, Abhirup Roy, Sayantani Ghosh, Sriraj Kaluvilla, Deepa Babington, Jamie Freed Organizations: REUTERS, General Motors, Chrysler, Reuters, Visible Alpha, Revenue, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Mexico, Nuevo Leon, China, Bengaluru, Hyunjoo, San Francisco, Detroit

But the company on Wednesday stuck to its annual production target of 1.8 million vehicles, suggesting the discounts were driving demand. Some analysts said Tesla may need to cut prices further to achieve its annual delivery target amid a broader slowdown in electric vehicle demand. In the second quarter, Tesla had posted a gross margin of 18.2%. Wall Street had on average expected Tesla to post a margin of 18.02%, according to 21 analysts polled by Visible Alpha. According to LSEG data, an average of 17 analysts polled expected gross margin of 18.25%.

Persons: Matthew Childs, Tesla, Akash Sriram, Hyunjoo Jin, Abhirup Roy, Sayantani Ghosh, Sriraj Kaluvilla, Deepa Babington Organizations: REUTERS, Investors, Visible Alpha, Revenue, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Texas, Bengaluru, Hyunjoo, San Francisco

"I don't think the price cuts are over, mainly for the reason that demand is still weak," said Thomas Martin, senior portfolio manager at Tesla shareholder Globalt Investments. Tesla has already cut U.S. prices of its Model 3 compact sedan and Model Y SUV in October. The slump will continue into the fourth quarter and margins could dip below 15%, said Wells Fargo analyst Colin Langan. However, that likely falls short of offsetting the price cuts," Langan said. Tesla slashed the technology's price by a fifth in August and analysts said that more cuts could be on the cards.

Persons: Florence, China's, Thomas Martin, Elon Musk, Tesla, Wells, Colin Langan, Langan, Musk, Gary Black, Akash Sriram, Aditya Soni, Sayantani Ghosh, Arun Koyyur Organizations: Fair for Trade, Services, REUTERS, HK, Globalt Investments, Reuters, Visible Alpha, Fund, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Europe, MEXICO, Nuevo Leon, Mexican, Bengaluru

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