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☆ Battery swapping is taking off in China — and it could help rescue the EV revolution in the US
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The Tesla rival pioneering battery-swappingFounded by entrepreneur William Li — sometimes referred to as "China's Elon Musk" — in 2014, Nio has built a network of more than 2,000 battery swap stations in China. Experts told BI that battery swapping offers a solution to many of those concerns — in theory. Ample battery swapping technology promises to swap out an EV battery in under five minutes. It's a heavy innovation because battery swap is closely connected with the vehicle design and the sales model," said Dr Shen. Ample, which in the future plans to charge users a battery subscription fee to use its swap stations, has battery swap stations operating in Spain, Japan, and California, where it has worked mainly with fleet providers such as Uber.

Persons: —, William Li —, China's Elon, Nio, Fei Shen, William Li, HECTOR RETAMAL, JAC, Shen, Dylan Khoo, John Helveston, Helveston, Khoo, John De Souza, De Souza Organizations: Service, Business, EV, Chery, ABI Research, George Washington University, Fiat Locations: China, Europe, West, San Francisco, Spain, Japan, California

☆ The Tesla shareholder who denied Musk his $55 billion payday is a former heavy metal drummer
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Richard Tornetta sued Tesla in 2018 over Elon Musk's $55 billion compensation plan. The Tesla shareholder is a former heavy metal drummer for the thrash-metal band Dawn of Correction. A Judge sided with Tornetta and struck down the pay package, calling it unfair to shareholders. AdvertisementThe Tesla shareholder who won a dramatic legal victory that denied Elon Musk his $55 billion compensation package used to be a heavy metal drummer. The EV maker will need to develop a new compensation plan for Musk, although it can appeal.

Persons: Richard Tornetta, Tesla, —, Elon Musk, of, Musk, Tornetta, Kimbal Organizations: Elon Musk's, Service, YouTube, Reuters, Business Locations: Delaware, Texas

☆ Tesla issues recall for most of its cars in the US over warning light issue
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Tesla is recalling 2.2. million vehicles due to an issue with their warning lights. The carmaker has started releasing a software update to resolve the problem. It's Tesla's second big recall in months after it updated 2 million vehicles over Autopilot fears. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementTesla is recalling two million vehicles in yet another safety headache for Elon Musk .

Persons: Tesla, It's, —, Elon Musk Organizations: Service, Traffic Safety Administration, Business

☆ Elon Musk might be right. Chinese EV firms could 'demolish' their US rivals.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Elon Musk warned Chinese EV firms could "demolish" rivals like Tesla without trade barriers. AdvertisementA decade ago, Elon Musk laughed off the threat posed by Chinese electric carmaker BYD . "The Chinese car companies are the most competitive car companies in the world," Musk told investors during Tesla's Q4 earnings call. I think the Chinese companies are more willing to take risks and gamble with something and see how it goes," he said. Something else that may stop Chinese EV companies from overrunning the US market with cheap models is range.

Persons: Elon Musk, Tesla, —, BYD, Musk, Biden, Zhang Fan, Fortune, we've, John Helveston, Helveston, Nio, Dr, Fei Shen, Shen Organizations: Service, EV, Companies, Chery, GAC, George Washington University, US, Nio's, BI Locations: Mexico, China, Europe

☆ Amazon named its new chatbot Rufus after a Welsh corgi that a couple often took to the office
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Amazon has named its latest AI chatbot after a dog that belonged to two of the company's earliest workers. The e-commerce giant launched a new AI-powered shopping assistant called Rufus on Thursday — and the chatbot shares a name with Amazon's first four-legged "employee." Rufus belonged to Susan Benson, Amazon's former editor-in-chief, and her husband Richard, who was an engineer. pic.twitter.com/DsXElz0fht — Amazon (@amazon) February 20, 2020Amazon named one of the buildings in its Seattle headquarters after the corgi, which died in 2009. There are pictures of him throughout its offices , including one hailing Rufus as Amazon's "official switch thrower."

Persons: Rufus, Amazon's, Susan Benson, Richard, corgi, Brad Stone's, Jeff Bezos, Andy Jassy Organizations: Amazon, corgi Locations: Seattle

☆ Hulu is the latest streaming service to crack down on password sharing
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Hulu has reportedly told subscribers it will be banning password sharing. The Disney-owned platform becomes the latest streaming service to crack down on account sharing. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementHulu has become the latest streaming service to crack down on password sharing. The Disney-owned streaming service updated its subscriber agreement last week to explicitly ban sharing a subscription outside of a single household, and has been emailing subscribers to tell them that the password-sharing crackdown will come into effect on March 14, per The Hollywood Reporter .

Persons: Hulu, — Organizations: Disney, Netflix, Service, Hulu, Hollywood

☆ ChatGPT probably won't help create biological weapons, OpenAI says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewOpenAI thinks there's only a slight chance that ChatGPT could be used to help create biological threats. Experts have warned that AI could be used to facilitate biological terror attacks, either by helping terrorists create biological and chemical weapons or by helping them plan their attacks. The GPT-4 group was given access to a research-only version of the model that, unlike ChatGPT, has fewer "security guardrails in place" it said. OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.

Persons: —, there's, Dario Amodei, Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI Organizations: Service, Business, Rand Corporation

☆ Apple fans finally got a proper look at one of the Vision Pro's more bizarre features — and some think it's terrible
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Some Apple fans were unimpressed by the Vision Pro's "EyeSight" feature when reviews came out this week. It displays the users' virtual eyes on the outer screen of the Vision Pro. AdvertisementApple fans got a proper look at one of the Vision Pro 's more bizarre features — and not all of them are impressed. The most surprising takeaway from all the Vision Pro reviews/videos is how universally awful the EyeSight display is. The Vision Pro goes on sale on February 2, with Apple reportedly having already sold around 200,000 headsets in preorder.

Persons: —, Apple Organizations: Apple, Vision, Service, Pro, Tech, Business Locations: Beta

☆ Ken Griffin says Chinese invasion of Taiwan could spark a new Great Depression
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Ken Griffin told CNBC that a war over Taiwan could spark a new Great Depression. AdvertisementKen Griffin has warned that a war over Taiwan could spark a new Great Depression. The Citadel founder told CNBC that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would have "catastrophic" consequences for both the American and Chinese economies. And by catastrophic I think you're looking at Great Depression circumstances," Griffin told CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" during the MFA Network conference in Miami on Tuesday. Those chips are used in every part of our economy," Griffin told CNBC.

Persons: Ken Griffin, —, Griffin, CNBC's, Lai Ching, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden Organizations: CNBC, Service, Citadel, Network, Boeing Locations: Taiwan, Miami, Beijing, China

☆ Ken Griffin says watching Chinese EV firm BYD overtake Tesla was 'heartbreaking'
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ken Griffin told CNBC that BYD overtaking Tesla as the top seller of EVs was a "heartbreaking" moment. The billionaire warned the West needs a strategy to cope with a wave of cheap Chinese electric cars. It comes after Elon Musk said Chinese EVs would "demolish" their US rivals without trade barriers. AdvertisementBYD has finally knocked Elon Musk off his perch at the top of the EV ladder — and nobody is more disappointed about it than Ken Griffin. AdvertisementHis comments come after Elon Musk warned that Chinese EV companies would "demolish" their Western rivals without trade barriers being put in place.

Persons: Ken Griffin, Tesla, Elon Musk, —, BYD, Warren Buffett, Griffin, CNBC's, We've, Elon, … Organizations: CNBC, West, Service, Citadel, Network, EV, General Motors Locations: Miami, China, California

☆ China is building its own AI at a rapid pace
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Chinese tech giants are racing to catch up with US firms like OpenAI in the AI arms race. Over 40 AI models have been approved for public use by the government, per local news reports. China has tight controls on AI , with tech companies required to "adhere to socialist values." Unlike their US rivals, Chinese companies that develop their own chatbots face political as well as technological challenges. That has meant that many of the country's most advanced AI models have a tendency to avoid sensitive topics, such as the status of Taiwan.

Persons: —, Ernie, OpenAI's, Bytedance, China's, Ernie Bot Organizations: Service, Reuters, Baidu, Google, Apple, Huawei, Xiaomi, Bloomberg Locations: China, Taiwan

☆ Toyota tells drivers of 50,000 cars to get immediate repairs because their airbag inflators could explode
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewToyota has told drivers of around 50,000 of its vehicles in the US to get urgent repairs over fears that their airbag inflators could explode, causing "serious injury or death." This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Takata airbag inflators have been linked to more than 30 deaths and hundreds of injuries since 2009, and have been responsible for the largest safety recall in automotive history. AdvertisementToyota did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, Business, Toyota, BMW, Daihatsu

☆ Elon Musk compares the AI race to playing poker — you need to spend billions every year just to sit at the table
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Read previewElon Musk has compared the AI arms race to a high stakes game of poker, with companies needing to spend billions on AI hardware just to stay competitive. "Tesla will spend more than that on Nvidia hardware this year. The table stakes for being competitive in AI are at least several billion dollars per year at this point," he added. AdvertisementThe billionaire previously said on X that Tesla is an AI and robotics company rather than a carmaker. In a post on X, he said he was "uncomfortable" building up Tesla's AI capacity without having more control of the company.

Persons: —, Elon, Tesla, Mark Zuckerberg, Musk Organizations: Service, Business, Nvidia, eBay, AMD, SpaceX

☆ Taylor Swift fans are furious about graphic fake AI images of the pop superstar being shared on X
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Swifties are furious with Elon Musk's X after AI-generated explicit images of the singer went viral. Fans of Taylor Swift are expressing their fury on the billionaire's social media platform X after graphic AI-generated images of the pop superstar went viral on the site. "Posting Non-Consensual Nudity (NCN) images is strictly prohibited on X and we have a zero-tolerance policy towards such content. The rising availability of AI image generators has fueled concerns that they could be used to create "deepfake" naked images of women. X did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.

Persons: Swifties, Elon Musk's, —, Elon, Taylor Swift, Swift, Taylor, Musk, schoolgirls Organizations: Service, Media, Business Locations: Spain

☆ Apple is quietly stockpiling startups and hunting for talent as it fights for a slice of the AI boom
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. And it's embarking on a hunt for AI talent as it seeks to catch up with rivals like Google and Microsoft. They also suggest that Apple is ramping up its search for AI talent, advertising AI-focused jobs across several areas, including health , on-device AI , and building " foundation models," which are baseline AI models like GPT-4. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.

Persons: —, Siri, Morgan Stanley, Apple, Tim Cook, ChatGPT Organizations: Service, Business, Financial Times, Google, Microsoft, Apple, Apple's Worldwide, Conference, Apple Watch, Bloomberg Locations: PitchBook

☆ Elon Musk warns Tesla workers they'll be sleeping on the production line to build its new mass-market EV
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk said Tesla engineers will have to sleep on the production line to build the company's next-gen EV. Tesla workers have previously said they slept on factory floors during production ramp-ups. AdvertisementElon Musk warned Tesla workers to prepare themselves for a challenging production ramp-up as he previewed plans to build a mass-market vehicle. AdvertisementIt wouldn't be the first time that Tesla workers have reportedly had to sleep on manufacturing lines to meet the company's production deadlines. Tesla workers could face a heightened form of what Musk previously dubbed as "production hell" during Tesla's 2017 Model 3 ramp-up.

Persons: Elon Musk, Tesla, —, Elon, Musk, Tesla's Organizations: Service, Reuters, EV, BYD, Business Locations: Texas, Tesla's

☆ A 61-year-old man sues Macy's, saying he was jailed and assaulted after being falsely identified as a store robber by facial recognition
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewA 61-year-old man is suing Macy's and the parent company of Sunglass Hut over the use of facial recognition tech that mistook him for an armed robber. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. AdvertisementThe use of facial recognition technology in retail stores has come under growing scrutiny in recent years and fuelled fears that it may lead to more cases of mistaken arrests . Macy's and EssilorLuxottica did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.

Persons: —, Macy's, Harvey Murphy Jr, , Murphy, EssilorLuxottica Organizations: Service, Business, Washington Post, Federal Trade Commission Locations: Sunglass, Macy's, Sacramento

☆ Anna Wintour kept her sunglasses on while firing Pitchfork staff, writer says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewAnna Wintour is famous for her intimidating black shades — and one writer says she didn't remove them while laying off workers at music site Pitchfork. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Allison Hussey, a former staff writer for Pitchfork, wrote on X that the longtime Vogue editor kept her sunglasses on in a meeting informing staff they were losing their jobs. Wintour was elevated to global chief content officer of Condé Nast and global editorial director of Vogue in 2020. Condé Nast did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.

Persons: —, Anna Wintour, Allison Hussey, Wintour, Condé Nast, Anna Wintour —, Hussey, Puja Patel, Semafor, Meryl Streep's, Wears, Meryl Streep, Catherine Martin, Baz Luhrmann, Vittorio Zunino Celotto, Lauren Indvik Organizations: Service, Pitchfork, Business, Vogue, GQ, Fox, CNN, Financial, Ritz Locations: London

☆ Apple has paid a $13 million fine that will go directly into Russia's state budget as Putin ramps up war spending, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Apple has paid a $13 million Russian fine over alleged illegal app store practices, per the FT. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. AdvertisementApple has reportedly paid a $13 million Russian fine as President Vladimir Putin escalates his crackdown on foreign tech firms. Like many other Western companies, Apple has largely abandoned Russia since Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, though it still operates its app store in the country. However, the war has left the Russian economy struggling with spiraling food prices and a shortage of workers .

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Russia's Organizations: Apple, Google, Service, FAS, Financial Times, Big Tech, Business Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russian

☆ TikTok is letting users create tracks with AI — and some are hilariously awful
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The platform is testing a feature called "AI Song," which lets users generate their own backing tracks for videos. Advertisement@jonahcruzmanzano How to create a song using AI on TikTok. AI Song is an experimental feature available on TikTok, utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to generate songs based on prompts you input. The lyric generation in AI Song is driven by Bloom, a robust language model employing machine learning to produce text. For your security, refrain from sharing personal or confidential information while using AI Song #tiktok #tiktoknewfeature #tiktokai #tiktoknews #tiktokupdate ♬ Vibes - ZHRMusicResults seem to be mixed.

Persons: Drake, — Organizations: Service

☆ Elon Musk blames 'spam/scam bot' for some pictures on X being labeled 'graphic content'
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Some images on X were labeled as "graphic content" due to a "scam bot," Elon Musk said. It's the latest technical problem to hit X since Musk took control of the social media site. The social media site said numerous posts were "incorrectly labeled" as "sensitive media" in the latest technical problem, which Elon Musk blamed on a "spam/scam bot." pic.twitter.com/hpvzMBPwxS — Josiah Kennealy (@JosiahKennealy) January 21, 2024Musk acknowledged the issues in an X post , writing that "an X spam/scam bot accidentally flagged many legitimate accounts today. We've fixed the underlying issue and are now working to remove labels from impacted posts," X said.

Persons: Elon Musk, Musk, —, hpvzMBPwxS, Josiah Kennealy Organizations: Service

☆ X is left with advertisers pushing dubious cryptocurrency and AI 'undressing' apps, users say after Musk's outburst
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Some X users are complaining the site is overrun with ads pushing crypto and AI "undressing" apps. Social media experts say an advertiser exodus has left X reliant on less reputable buyers. AdvertisementElon Musk's war on advertisers seems to be having some unintended consequences for X. Business InsiderOther suspect advertisements have been spotted on the site, with users also complaining about a surge in ads on their timelines for "undressing" apps. "It also shows the race to the bottom that the X platform has fallen into," he added.

Persons: Elon Musk, —, Elon, xqCDa7Ilgm, kevin harrish, Jeff MacDonald, Mekanism, Hamza Mudassir, Musk, Alex Jones, MacDonald, Linda Yaccarino, X, Matt Navarra Organizations: Social, Service, Business, Twitter, Media, Cambridge University, Apple, Disney, The New York Times, Times, IBM, Walmart

☆ People think self-driving cars should be 'better' than human drivers, executive says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

AdvertisementMany people think self-driving cars should be better than human drivers, an industry executive said. "There's a difference between an accident caused by a human driver, and an accident caused by an autonomous system," said Majors. Advertisement"I think that the expectation is that they have to be a lot better than a human driver, because when there is an accident and the computer's involved, there's less empathy or understanding." Majors said that Motional, a Hyundai-Aptiv joint venture developing autonomous technology, had operated more than 2 million miles autonomously with no at-fault crashes. Cruise, which was trialing "robotaxi" services that ferried passengers around San Francisco without a human driver, was forced to recall its entire fleet late last year.

Persons: Laura Majors, Motional, Cruise, —, Majors, Tesla, Elon Musk's, Robert Falck, " Falck Organizations: Hyundai, Tesla, Service, Economic, GM, Einride, Business Locations: San Francisco, Davos, Cruise, California

☆ Tesla is taking the Cybertruck on a tour of China — but it won't be on sale
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Tesla is taking the Cybertruck on a tour of China, per a company WeChat post reported by Reuters. However, it's unlikely to be on sale in China soon, with Elon Musk saying it'll be hard to make legal. It comes as Tesla tries to fight off a new wave of competition from Chinese EV makers such as BYD. Elon Musk's company is taking the Cybertruck on a tour of China to show off its futuristic pickup, according to a company post on WeChat reported by Reuters . Elon Musk has previously hinted at the plan, posting on X on Sunday that Tesla could ship some Cybertruck prototypes to China for display.

Persons: Tesla, Elon Musk, —, Elon, Frederic J . Brown, Warren Buffett, Xiaomi, Musk Organizations: Reuters, Service, Elon Musk's, Geely, Huawei, New York Times, Business Locations: China, North America, AFP

☆ Elon Musk praises Javier Milei's World Economic Forum speech — and gets his Grok AI to make his annual dig at Davos
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewThe World Economic Forum in Davos is in full swing, but one of the great and good is not in Switzerland this week: Elon Musk. Grok roasts Klaus Schwab at WEF pic.twitter.com/zzpaNTWnKm — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 18, 2024However, Musk was full of praise for one Davos attendee : Argentine president Javier Milei. It received plenty of legitimate criticism , but also sparked conspiracy theories that believe it is a sinister plan by elites to use the Covid-19 pandemic to control the world. Comments under his X post "roasting" Schwab also featured several posts alluding to conspiracy theories surrounding the WEF. The World Economic Forum did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Persons: —, Elon, Klaus Schwab, Grok roasts Klaus Schwab, zzpaNTWnKm — Elon, Musk, Javier Milei, D254kMpgDh — Elon, Milei, who's, Schwab, chatbot, hadn't, He's, Prince, Wales Organizations: Service, Economic, Business, World Economic Locations: Davos, Switzerland, WEF, Argentine, Argentina

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