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☆ Elon Musk axed the entire Tesla Supercharger team after their division chief defied orders and said no to more layoffs
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewTesla CEO Elon Musk made the snap decision to fire the entire Supercharger team after its division chief refused to make further layoffs happen, Reuters reported on Wednesday. The billionaire said in an email to staff on April 29 that he was dissolving the entire team behind Tesla's charging infrastructure, per The Information. AdvertisementRepresentatives for Tesla, Musk, and Tinucci didn't respond to Reuters' request for comment. The Tesla chief moved quickly to assuage concerns, and assured investors that Tesla's Supercharger network isn't going anywhere. A slowdown in the rollout of Tesla's charging infrastructure would thus be a setback for Biden's clean-energy agenda.

Persons: —, Elon Musk, Musk, Rebecca Tinucci, Tinucci, Tesla's, Tesla, Mercedes Benz, haven't, Aaron Luque, Joe Organizations: Service, Reuters, Bloomberg, Business, Tesla, The, Motors, Ford, Politico, BI

☆ Looks like Elon Musk's belated 40th birthday present to Mark Zuckerberg is reviving that bizarre cage match bet
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Turns out, if you're Elon Musk, the biggest birthday present you can gift to a tech world nemesis may just be yourself. All of this is to say that one day after Mark Zuckerberg's 40th birthday, Elon Musk is back on their old beef, bringing up that fight he challenged Zuckerberg to last year. "I'm up for a cage match if he is lol," Musk said in an X post on June 20, 2023. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 11, 2023Zuckerberg, however, said Musk never made it clear when they were scheduled to glove up and face off in the ring. Advertisement"Zuck is a chicken," he wrote in an X post on August 13.

Persons: —, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg's, Zuckerberg, I've, Musk, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, I’ve, ake, lear, ince, ade Organizations: Service, Business, ust Locations: lon, usk, lade

☆ Sam Altman didn't eat or sleep much during his ousting, so he celebrated his return with 4 entrées and 2 milkshakes
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Ana Altchek | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewAs the CEO of OpenAI, the last couple of years have been a whirlwind for Sam Altman. He's met with world leaders, feuded with Elon Musk, joined the billionaire club, and was fired from the company he cofounded before quickly securing his return. Within a day of his ousting, Altman said he received 10 to 20 texts from presidents and prime ministers around the world. "It was just like weird," Altman told podcast host Logan Bartlett. "Then it hit me that like, oh yeah, like all of these people had texted me and it wasn't weird," Altman said.

Persons: —, Sam Altman, Altman, He's, Elon Musk, Logan Bartlett, OpenAI —, he's Organizations: Service, OpenAI, Business Locations: Napa

☆ 3 tricks legacy media companies can learn from social-video platforms, per a new Accenture report
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewTraditional media and entertainment companies must undergo "radical levels of reinvention," John Peters, Accenture's lead for media and entertainment clients, told Business Insider. Traditional media companies, like live broadcasting or linear channels, are "seeing viewership migrate away from their platforms," Peters said. Advertisement"They're increasingly moving to social media and social video platforms and video games," Peters said. Here are three things that traditional media companies can learn from social media giants, per the Accenture report. AdvertisementPeters also pointed to events like the annual Academy Awards or live sports as opportunities for media companies to use UGC.

Persons: —, John Peters, Accenture's, Peters, Goldman Sachs, Nikki Mendonca, Mendonca, Elon Organizations: Service, Accenture, Business, Media Industry, Netflix, Hulu, WARC Media, Meta, Media, UGC, Apple, Google, Spotify, Disney Locations: North America, Europe, Asia, America

☆ Tesla's Chinese rival Nio launches a new brand and car that undercuts the Model Y by $4,000
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

In this article 9866-HK Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTChinese electric car company Nio launched its lower-cost brand Onvo on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in Shanghai, China. CNBC | Evelyn ChengSHANGHAI — Chinese electric car company Nio revealed Wednesday that the first car for its new, lower-priced brand, Onvo, will be about $4,000 cheaper than Tesla's comparable Model Y. Elon Musk's electric SUV has been one of the best-selling pure battery-powered electric cars in China. watch nowFierce competition in China's electric car market has invited new entrants and prompted many companies to cut prices. Smartphone company Xiaomi in late March entered the electric car market with its SU7 sedan to rival Tesla's Model 3 with a price that was also about $4,000 cheaper.

Persons: Nio, Evelyn Cheng SHANGHAI, William Li, Onvo, CNBC's Eunice Yoon, Elon, Xiaomi, BYD, Li, Biden, Tesla Organizations: HK, CNBC, Onvo's, Tesla's, Elon Musk's Locations: Shanghai, China, Europe, .

Behind a big shake-upA day after OpenAI announced major updates to its ChatGPT chatbot, the company said its chief scientist and co-founder was leaving. There were signs that Ilya Sutskever would quit, six months after he helped lead the rebellion that briefly ousted Sam Altman as OpenAI’s C.E.O. But it also raises questions about the future of a leading developer of generative A.I. “OpenAI would not exist without him and certainly was shaped by him,” Altman told The Times about Sutskever. But Sutskever’s presence at OpenAI may have become untenable.

Persons: OpenAI, Ilya Sutskever, Sam Altman, OpenAI’s, “ OpenAI, ” Altman, Altman, Elon Musk, Sutskever Organizations: Times

☆ Musk's Neuralink has faced issues with its tiny wires for years, Reuters sources say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Neuralink deemed the risk low enough for a redesign not to be merited, the sources added. Neuralink is testing its implant to give paralyzed patients the ability to use digital devices by thinking alone, a prospect that could help people with spinal cord injuries. The company said last week that the implant's tiny wires, which are thinner than a human hair, retracted from a patient's brain in its first human trial, resulting in fewer electrodes that could measure brain signals. The company said it managed to restore the implant's ability to monitor its patient's brain signals by making changes that included modifying its algorithm to be more sensitive. In the weeks after the surgery, "a number of threads retracted from the brain," Neuralink said in a blog update last week.

Persons: Neuralink, Noland Arbaugh, Arbaugh, Robert Gaunt, it's Organizations: Elon Musk, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, FDA, Specialists, University of Pittsburgh Locations: U.S, Neuralink

☆ Baidu’s robotaxi unit expects to turn profitable next year
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A driverless robotaxi autonomous vehicle developed by Baidu Apollo driving along a street in Beijing. SHANGHAI — Chinese tech company Baidu said Wednesday its Apollo Go robotaxi arm expects to turn profitable next year. The projection comes as Elon Musk has emphasized his plans to build up Tesla's robotaxi efforts amid a decline in revenue. Baidu on Wednesday announced Apollo's 6th generation robotaxi will cost around 200,000 yuan ($28,169) — or less than half that of the prior generation, the company said. Others in the auto industry remain more skeptical about fully driverless cars, which require broad regulatory approval in order to operate.

Persons: Elon Musk, Apollo, Baidu, Brian Gu Organizations: Baidu, Wednesday, China Securities Regulatory Commission, Xpeng Locations: Beijing, SHANGHAI, Wuhan, China

☆ Tesla is going all out to push Elon Musk's $55 billion pay package through — even spending money on ads
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewTesla is going all in on its efforts to push through approval of Elon Musk's $55 billion pay package. A screenshot of some of the paid ads Tesla ran in support of Musk's pay package proposal. SECThe company aims to pass two separate proposals, one moving its state of incorporation from Delaware to Texas and another reapproving Musk's pay, which was struck down by a Delaware judge earlier this year. Musk does not receive a salary from Tesla and his pay package centered on a series of goalposts around the carmaker's financial growth. AdvertisementEarlier in May, Denholm even sat down for a video promoting the pay plan.

Persons: —, Elon, Tesla, Kathleen St, J, McCormick, Musk, Robyn Denholm, Denholm Organizations: Service, Elon Musk's, Securities and Exchange Commission, Google, Business, SEC, Street Journal, Bloomberg Locations: Tesla, Delaware, Texas

☆ EVPassport CEO Hooman Shahidi: There's a tremendous opportunity in front of us
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailEVPassport CEO Hooman Shahidi: There's a tremendous opportunity in front of usEVPassport CEO Hooman Shahidi joins CNBC's 'Squawk Box' to discuss how their company is building out the infrastructure for charging EVs, his take on Elon Musk laying off the Tesla Supercharger team, and more.

Persons: Hooman, Hooman Shahidi, EVs Organizations: Elon, Tesla

☆ How bad bets on meme stocks led to a $1 billion wipeout
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —The only bet riskier than buying meme stocks like GameStop may be cheering for their decline. That’s the lesson Wall Street’s short-sellers are learning the hard way this week. See here: For the first four months of the year, GameStop short-sellers — investors who bet on a stock’s decline — were sitting on $392 million in gains, up nearly 50%. To understand the meme stock phenomenon, it helps to understand a bit of the tribalism underpinning it. Today’s GameStop shorts aren’t likely to hang on and repeat the mistakes of their Melvin Capital brethren.

Persons: CNN Business ’, Capital, RoaringKitty —, GameStop’s, Ihor Dusaniwsky, ” Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, GameStop, S3 Partners, Elon, Citron Research, Wall, Partners Locations: New York

☆ AI models like GPT-4o could give some blue-collar jobs a leg-up and force white-collar workers to adapt
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

GPT-4o and other multimodal AI models could soon change the way we work. An AI analyst said plumbers and electricians' jobs are safe, but "AI will impact any job that has data." AdvertisementOpenAI's newest model and others like it could dramatically reinvent the workplace wheel. GPT-4o, the company's newest multimodal model, can input and output a combination of text, audio, and images. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: —, OpenAI, Elon Musk Organizations: Service, Business

Deutsche Bank maintained a hold rating on Nvidia ahead of earnings next week, while Wells Fargo raised its price target. The firm downgraded shares to neutral from buy while lowering its price target to $35 from $55. He has a $850 price target on shares, indicating shares pulling back nearly 6% from Monday's close. The analyst raised his price target on the stock to $1,150 from $974, implying upside of more than 27%. He also raised his price target to $78 from $68, implying upside of 19% from Monday's close.

Persons: Wells Fargo, Roth, Roblox, Eric Handler, Handler, — Hakyung Kim, Tesla's, Elon Musk's, Tesla, Dan Levy, Levy, Hakyung Kim, Jefferies, Boston Beer, Samuel Adams, seltzer, Kaumil, Boston Beers, Seltzer, Gajrawala, Ross Seymore, NVDAs, Seymour, Wells Fargo's Aaron Rakers, Rahul Krotthapalli, Krotthapalli, Fred Imbert Organizations: CNBC, Nvidia, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan, Roth Capital Partners, Barclays, Jefferies, Boston Beer, Boston, Deutsche, Fitness Locations: Monday's, Boston

☆ Tesla is sued over air pollution from factory operations in Fremont, California
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Lora Kolodny | In Lorakolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Tesla is being sued by the nonprofit Environmental Democracy Project, which alleges "ongoing failure to comply with the Clean Air Act" at the electric vehicle company's assembly plant in Fremont, California. The latest lawsuit in California described Tesla's environmental violations as "ongoing" and said that residents and employees in the surrounding area have been exposed to "excess amounts of air pollution, including nitrogen oxides, arsenic, cadmium, and other harmful chemicals." The Bay Area Air Quality Management District, an environmental regulator, recently accused Tesla of allowing "unabated emissions" in Fremont that should have been prevented. Air pollution from the assembly plant is the result of equipment that frequently breaks down, allowing emissions to vent directly into the air without proper filtration, regulators have said. Additionally, Tesla employees or contractors have allegedly shut off air pollution controls in the factory, particularly when the company was having trouble with other paint shop equipment.

Persons: Tesla, Tesla's, Elon Musk, Musk Organizations: Democracy, Political Economy Research, University of Massachusetts, Environmental Protection Agency, Tesla, Bay Area Air Quality Management District, CNBC Locations: Fremont , California, San Francisco, Amherst, California, Germany, Berlin, Fremont

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHow Tesla may have just killed its most important product — SuperchargersTesla's Supercharging network faces uncertainty following Elon Musk's recent decision to disband the entire Supercharging team. The move coincides with broader restructuring due to falling sales and increased competition, resulting in a 32% drop in the stock price this year. Since the charging network's beginning in 2012, Tesla has built 6,000 stations and 55,000 Superchargers globally. But whether Tesla can maintain its advantage without the team remains to be seen.

Persons: Elon Musk's, Tesla

☆ Elon Musk says OpenAI's GPT-4o reveal 'made me cringe'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Elon Musk is umimpressed with OpenAI's new AI model. The Tesla CEO said the company's demo of its new AI model, GPT-4o "made me cringe." AdvertisementElon Musk is not impressed with OpenAI's latest offering. The billionaire slammed the company's demonstration of its new AI model called GPT-4o "made me cringe." The new and improved bot quickly sparked parallels to the 2013 movie "Her" — in which Scarlett Johannson voices the artificially intelligent love interest of Joaquin Phoenix.

Persons: Elon Musk, —, Elon, OpenAI's, OpenAI, Scarlett Johannson, Joaquin Phoenix Organizations: Service

The future of Tesla Supercharging is uncertain following CEO Elon Musk's disbanding of the Supercharging team as part of a broader restructuring. The roughly 500 layoffs included senior director of EV charging Rebecca Tinucci and Daniel Ho, director of vehicle programs. "I would describe the Supercharger network as one of the crown jewels of Tesla," said Andres Pinter, co-CEO of Bullet EV Charging Solutions. "Instead of doing victory laps and building the Supercharger network and reaping the benefits of this asset, suddenly there's this pause." Musk said in a post that Tesla still plans to grow the Supercharger network, just at a slower pace.

Persons: Elon Musk's, Rebecca Tinucci, Daniel Ho, Tesla, Andres Pinter, It's, Musk, Matt Teske Organizations: EV, Solutions, Bloomberg, Tesla, Ford Motor, General Motors Locations: North America

☆ How Melinda French Gates became one of the world’s wealthiest and most important philanthropists
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —On Monday, Melinda French Gates announced her resignation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, officially ending one of the world’s leading philanthropic partnerships. In French Gates’ 2008 Fortune profile, Buffett said French Gates helped focus the foundation’s mission. In addition to French Gates, Gates and Buffett, The Giving Pledge counts billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and MacKenzie Scott as signatories. French Gates has a net worth of $13.3 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, while Bill Gates’ net worth is $153 billion. French Gates’ departure from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has been hinted at since the couple announced their divorce in May 2021.

Persons: Melinda French Gates, Melinda Gates, Gates, Bill Gates, Melinda Gates ’, Warren Buffett, Buffett, ” Buffett, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, MacKenzie Scott, “, French Gates Organizations: CNN, Melinda Gates Foundation, Microsoft, Duke University, Fortune Magazine, Gates Library Foundation, Berkshire Hathaway, Bloomberg, Rutgers ’ Center, American Women Locations: United States, Fortune, “, Gates, French, Politics

☆ One auto stock is quietly breaking out as Tesla struggles. Citi sees a double from here
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Analysts think General Motors will emerge as a bright spot in an automobile industry challenged by a weakening electric vehicle market. But Wall Street firms including Citigroup and Bank of America now think General Motors can strengthen its position in EVs. GM TSLA YTD mountain General Motors stock has outpaced Tesla in 2024. The bank has a buy rating on General Motors with a $96 per share price target, implying 113% upside from Monday's $45.17 close. Murphy's $75 per share price target implies 66% upside over the next 12 months.

Persons: Tesla, Itay Michaeli, John Murphy, GM's, Murphy, Ryan Brinkman Organizations: EV, Elon, Citigroup, Bank of America, General Motors, GM, Wall, Citi, JPMorgan Locations: EVs

OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever said Tuesday that he's leaving the Microsoft -backed startup. The departure comes months after OpenAI went through a leadership crisis involving co-founder and CEO Sam Altman. In November, OpenAI's board said in a statement that Altman had not been "consistently candid in his communications with the board." OpenAI has announced new board members, including former Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers. In 2015, Altman and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, another OpenAI co-founder, wanted Sutskever, then a research scientist at Google , to become the budding startup's top scientist, according to the lawsuit Musk filed against OpenAI in March.

Persons: Sam Altman, Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI, he's, Sutskever, OpenAI's, Altman, Helen Toner, Tasha McCauley, Adam D'Angelo, Ilya, Jakub Pachocki, Bret Taylor, Larry Summers, WilmerHale, Sue Desmond, Hellmann, Melinda Gates, Nicole Seligman, Fidji Simo, Greg, Sam, Greg Brockman, Mira Murati, Murati, Elon Musk, Musk, Dr Organizations: Tel Aviv University, Microsoft, Street, OpenAI's, Sony, Sony Entertainment, Tesla, Google, OpenAI Locations: Tel Aviv, OpenAI

☆ Elon Musk realized he needs his Supercharger team after all, weeks after axing the whole division
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

It looks like Elon Musk realized he needs his Supercharger team after all. The mercurial billionaire axed the entire charging infrastructure team two weeks ago. AdvertisementTesla CEO Elon Musk is re-hiring some of the workers from the Supercharger team he dissolved two weeks ago, Bloomberg reported on Monday. Last month, Musk said in an email to his staff that he was dissolving the team behind Tesla's Supercharger charging-station network, per The Information. Musk has brought back some Supercharger workers, including Tesla's charging director for North America, Max de Zegher, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Persons: Elon Musk, —, Musk, Max de Zegher Organizations: North, Service, Bloomberg, North America Locations: North America

☆ Musk wins court reprieve in fight against Australian government over church stabbing videos
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk's social media platform X won a reprieve Monday after an Australian court refused to extend a temporary order to block videos of a Sydney church stabbing. Following the incident, the country's eSafety Commissioner was granted a temporary legal injunction ordering X to hide posts that showed footage of the attack. In an interview last month, Albanese said Musk thinks "he's above Australian law" and called him out for his "arrogance." "The e-Safety Commissioner has made a ruling. Still, online safety "requires platforms to do everything practical and reasonable to minimize the harm it may cause to Australians," the eSafety Commissioner added.

Persons: Elon Musk, The Beverly Hilton, Elon, Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, Musk, Anthony Albanese, Albanese, " Albanese Organizations: SpaceX, Tesla, The Beverly, eSafety, Tech Locations: Beverly Hills , California, U.S, Sydney

☆ A Tesla supplier says it's still in limbo 2 weeks after Elon Musk fired the entire Supercharger team
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewElon Musk's recent firing of Tesla's entire Supercharger team seems to be causing chaos at some of its suppliers. Elon Musk's decision to lay off Tesla's entire Supercharger team, reportedly around 500 employees, shocked the EV industry. "It sounds like an existing Tesla team from a different department has been inserted to manage the charging division," said Pinter. His comments were echoed by Pinter, who described Musk's reorganization of Tesla as a "blessing in disguise" for Bullet EV Charging. Advertisement"We have already hired several members of the former Tesla charging team and are diversifying our customer base to focus more on fleet and auto dealership charging," Pinter said.

Persons: —, Elon, Aaron Luque, hasn't, Luque, haven't, Envirospark, Tesla …, Elon Musk's, Musk, Tesla, Andres Pinter, Pinter, we've Organizations: Service, Business, Bloomberg Locations: Canada, Luque

☆ Tesla will drop 70% after robotaxi and AI ambitions stop shielding a failing business, 'Big Short' investor says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

"Big Short" investor Danny Moses is still betting against Tesla stock and expects it to fall to $50. Tesla's focus on Robotaxis and AI is a distraction from its "falling apart" core business, he told CNBC. AdvertisementTesla's stock is cruising toward a steep correction, and will see a drop-off that even new tech initiatives can't steer around, investor Danny Moses told CNBC. The Moses Ventures founder revealed a Tesla short last year, sparked by a frustration over CEO Elon Musk's purchase of X, formerly Twitter. While Moses holds Tesla as his primary short, he touted a separate autonomous driving firm called Wayve.

Persons: Danny Moses, Moses, —, Tesla, Elon Musk's, Bill Gates Organizations: CNBC, DOJ, Service, Moses Ventures, Elon, Department of Justice, Nvidia

☆ In the battle of Telegram vs Signal, Elon Musk casts doubt on the security of the app he once championed
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Elon Musk once championed encrypted messaging app Signal, promoting its user privacy protections. Signal has been sharply criticized recently by a conservative activist and a rival app, Telegram. AdvertisementThe encryption wars brewing between the messaging apps Telegram and Signal have attracted the commentary of a high-profile critic: Elon Musk. In response to Rufo's post, Musk wrote cryptically, "There are known vulnerabilities with Signal that are not being addressed. Green, as well as Musk, Signal, and Telegram representatives, did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

Persons: Elon Musk, Musk, —, Elon, Pavel Durov, Durov, Tucker Carlson, Vladimir Putin, Jeff Bezos, Christopher Rufo —, Katherine Maher, Rufo, Maher, Edward Snowden, Meredith Whittaker, Whittaker, haven’t, IbXREWVaPL — Meredith Whittaker, @mer__edith, Jack Dorsey, — Elon, Johns Hopkins, Matthew Green, Green Organizations: Service, Fox News, NSA, Amazon, Elon, Telegram, Business Locations: Moscow

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