The Week In Musk: Robotaxis gone wild
After years of blown deadlines, Tesla this week finally launched a severely restricted and heavily supervised version of its Robotaxi service in Austin, Texas. The rollout has been less than ideal. Despite precautions, including the use of teleoperators, geofencing, and "safety monitors" (otherwise known as human employees sitting shotgun), Tesla's fleet of about 10 self-driving Model Ys has been recorded committing numerous traffic violations.
In one video, a Robotaxi could be seen driving into a lane for oncoming traffic for six seconds. Another video showed a passenger pressing the "pull over" button, only for the Robotaxi to stop in the middle of a multi-lane intersection, blocking it temporarily. After a similar incident occurred with another rider, the Robotaxi stopped in the middle of the road, prompting a safety monitor to call for support to get the car moving again. The cars also appear at times disoriented by police lights.
Robotaxis have also been filmed speeding, running over curbs, and braking erratically, with one coming to a complete stop due to a shopping bag that was floating in the roadway. One viral incident showed a Robotaxi failing to detect a UPS truck that was reversing in its direction, leading the safety monitor to press a manual button that stopped the Tesla's advance moments before a collision could occur. In a separate ride, the safety monitor had to move to the driver's seat to take over the car. (The use of safety monitors, while clearly necessary, contradicts a promise Musk made to analysts and investors in January. "Teslas will be in the wild, with no one in them, in June, in Austin," he claimed at the time.)
In a statement, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it is "aware of the referenced incidents and is in contact with the manufacturer to gather additional information." Austin's transportation department said on Thursday that it reported its first "safety concern" involving a Robotaxi. The incident was traced back to a Robotaxi that slammed on its brakes after approaching police vehicles that were outside its driving path.
Many of the riders chosen to participate in the Robotaxi beta are Tesla investors and fans of Musk. Rides can be requested through a Robotaxi app and may be denied during inclement weather. Tesla is charging riders a flat fee of $4.20, a number famous for — among other things — Musk's false claim that he had secured funding to take Tesla private at $420 per share.
Musk fires Tesla's head of Europe and North America
Tesla has parted ways with executive Omead Afshar less than a year after he was promoted to lead the company's manufacturing and operations in Europe and North America. Forbes reported that it was Musk who fired Afshar, an engineer who previously served as one of Musk's top lieutenants. The shakeup comes as Tesla sales continue to decline in Europe, the U.S., and Canada.
In 2022, it seemed that Afshar's time working for Musk could be cut short. He was investigated by Tesla's finance division for his role in ordering glass for a "secret project" that may have had nothing to do with Tesla. While other employees were fired following the investigation, Asfhar was ultimately moved over to SpaceX and then brought back to Tesla.
More on Asfhar's tenure with Musk from the Financial Times:
Afshar has worked for Tesla since 2017, starting in the office of the CEO, before overseeing the construction of its vast "Giga Texas" manufacturing plant in Austin from 2020.
He has been described as "firefighter" and "executioner" for the world’s richest man, being moved across Musk’s various companies to solve tough problems and conduct mass lay-offs, the Financial Times has previously reported.
In late 2022, he was part of the "transition team" that fired more than 7,500 people at Twitter — now rebranded as X — and was given the nickname "the Elon whisperer" by colleagues because of his ability to read the mood of the mercurial billionaire. Last year, he helped undertake a 10 per cent reduction in Tesla's workforce, shedding about 14,000 jobs.
It was not clear if Afshar will be reassigned to another part of Musk's empire after leaving Tesla.
As for Tesla sales in Europe, they fell for the fifth consecutive month in May. The European Automobile Manufacturers Association reported that the sale of new Teslas declined by 27.9% year-over-year, while its market share fell from 1.8% to 1.2%. Musk had forecasted that May would see a "major rebound" for Tesla in Europe last month following increased availability of the refreshed Model Y.
Previous reporting on figures from individual countries indicated that May was another bad month for the company. But a comprehensive report from JATO Dynamics showed how much ground Tesla is losing to emergent competitors. Chinese manufacturers sold 65,808 cars, including zero-emission vehicles and plug-in hybrids, in the European market last month, per JATO Dynamics. Tesla sold just 13,863.
In more Tesla news:
The city of Charlotte, North Carolina, has dropped Tesla from a pre-approved list of electric vehicles the city can purchase for official use. "It is not just the particular owner of this product," said city council member LaWana Mayfield. "It is the fact that this product has been in multiple lawsuits because of safety issues, and there are multiple concerns."
Tesla has signed a deal to construct the largest grid-scale battery power plant in China. Megapacks, Tesla's battery storage products, allow energy to be stored during times of abundance and dispensed when demand increases. Such products are especially useful for storing energy captured from renewable sources. China is the global leader in generating energy from both solar and wind.
Starlink-T-Mobile partnership to include data support for X
This fall, T-Satellite, the cellular Starlink service being offered by T-Mobile, plans to offer data support for a select number of apps, including X, AccuWeather, AllTrails, and WhatsApp. In other words, customers with eligible devices will be able to access those apps while operating in cellular dead zones. The inclusion of X is notable, given Musk's ownership of both the platform and Starlink, and is another example of Musk attempting to create synergy between the various components of his business empire.
X is also demanding from a data-use perspective, especially when compared to apps like AccuWeather and AllTrails. Under Musk's leadership, X has moved away from text-based content as part of a concerted effort to hook users on short-form videos.
T-Satellite is currently in beta and will launch officially on July 23. After its launch, the service will cost $10 per month and include data support for images and audio clips as well as text messages.
In more SpaceX news:
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is threatening to sue SpaceX over the debris and pollution from its South Texas launch site that has spread over the U.S.-Mexico border. At a Wednesday presser, Sheinbaum said that "there is indeed contamination" caused by SpaceX. Environmental activists in Mexico have previously documented how SpaceX's launches are polluting a fragile coastal ecosystem that includes the nesting beaches of the most endangered sea turtle species in the world.
Blue Origin, the rocket company founded by Jeff Bezos, is exploring ways to capitalize on the end of Musk's partnership with President Trump, according to the Wall Street Journal. The paper reported that Bezos called Trump twice in June, while Blue Origin chief executive Dave Limp visited the White House to meet with Trump's chief of staff. Blue Origin competes with SpaceX for government contracts. But SpaceX maintains a significant advantage, given the proven capabilities and low cost of its Falcon rockets.
After some delays, Kuiper, the Amazon subsidiary hoping to challenge Starlink, finally launched its second batch of internet satellites aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on Monday. The mission was only the second launch of the year for ULA, a one-time industry leader that has been overtaken by SpaceX.
A group of private astronauts successfully lifted off on Wednesday from the Kennedy Space Center while aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The Axiom Space mission will include a two-week-long research trip inside the International Space Station, where the crew docked on Thursday using a SpaceX Dragon craft. The mission is being led by Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut who holds the record for most time spent in space. Joining Whitson are astronauts from Poland, India, and Hungary.
Using a SpaceX rideshare mission, Celestis, a Houston company specializing in "memorial spaceflights," sent into orbit 150 capsules containing cremated human remains and DNA samples. "Our participants' capsules will orbit the Earth and return via the Mission Possible capsule, creating a spectacular liftoff and recovery experience," Celestis chief executive Charles Chafer said in a statement.
In parts of Washington state and Oregon, Starlink has introduced a $750 "demand surcharge," a one-time fee that new subscribers must pay before gaining access to the satellite network.
Memphis releases questionable air quality report exonerating xAI
Memphis Mayor Paul Young said the city had conducted air quality tests around the sprawling xAI facility in Shelby County that houses a large-scale data center and supercomputer. Despite residents accusing xAI of polluting the air via its use of methane gas turbines, Young claimed that the city's tests "showed no dangerous levels of air pollutants at any of the tested sites."
The Southern Environmental Law Center challenged the mayor's findings. "The city failed to measure ozone pollution — better known as smog — which we already know is a major problem in the Memphis area. Smog can make it harder for people to breathe and is tied to increased rates of asthma and other respiratory illnesses. It's unclear why the city would not test for this harmful pollutant," the group said, adding, "The analysis also failed to use best practices for air monitoring by testing over a very short period of time, not taking wind direction into account, and placing monitors in closed-off spaces."
The SELC is currently working with the NAACP as the latter group moves to sue xAI over the use of gas turbines to power its Memphis facility. Among the areas being polluted by xAI is a historically Black neighborhood that originated as a community for emancipated slaves.
Meanwhile, according to the Daily Memphian, xAI is currently amassing more gas turbines and other related machinery at a vacant Mississippi lot just south of Memphis.
Musk Minutes
The investment platform Republic plans to offer blockchain-based tokens that mirror the performance of SpaceX, the world's most valuable private company. The questionably legal scheme would allow retail investors to approximate exposure to SpaceX through Republic's simulacrum. But token-holders won’t have access to SpaceX's financials or receive traditional shareholder rights and protections. (Wall Street Journal)
In a court filing from Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI, lawyers for the billionaire claimed that he "does not use a computer." Musk, however, has repeatedly discussed his personal computer setup in social media posts. As recently as last month, he shared that he was "still using my ancient PC laptop." Also, when Musk was working out of the White House compound earlier this year, a photo of his office revealed a gaming computer that he had installed. The denial came after OpenAI's counsel accused Musk of omitting documents requested in discovery. (Wired)
Musk reclaimed ownership of a famous Bel Air property where the late actor Gene Wilder once lived. In 2020, Musk said he would sell the home after renouncing "almost all physical possessions" and claiming he would "own no house." The Bel Air property was sold to Wilder's nephew, who subsequently fell behind on payments, leading to the home being put up for auction last year. The property has since been acquired by the same limited liability company that Musk used when he first purchased the home in 2013. Musk also owns a number of properties in Texas to house many of his children and their mothers. (Realtor.com)
Speaking at a Y Combinator event, Musk announced that his brain-computer interface implant startup, Neuralink, plans to begin human trials of its Blindsight device within 12 months. "In the next six to 12 months, we'll be doing our first implants for vision, where, even if somebody is completely blind, we can write directly to the visual cortex, and we've had that working in monkeys," he said. "Actually, I think one of our monkeys now has had the visual implant for three years." Musk then predicted that "cybernetic implants" will soon be used to augment "human capabilities dramatically, augmenting intelligence and senses and bandwidth dramatically." (Mobi Health)
Musk accused Sergio Gor, the director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, of committing a federal crime. "[Gor] deliberately lied about where he was born on Federal forms. That’s a serious crime," Musk said on X, adding, "Gor is breaking the law." Musk and Gor frequently butted heads during the former's tenure working at the White House. This most recent attack from Musk appears to be inspired by Gor's role in terminating the nomination of Jared Issacman, a SpaceX astronaut whom Trump tapped to lead NASA before withdrawing his name earlier this month. (Daily Beast)
The European Commission is probing xAI's $33 billion acquisition of X in the all-stock transaction that took place in March. The regulator is investigating the new, combined entity's corporate structure as it weighs how much to fine X for violations of the EU's Digital Services Act. Violators of the DSA are fined based on their global revenue. (Bloomberg)
An amazing amount of insider clown networking within the government (our Government) in such a short amount of time...makes one wonder how many government leaders, in how many branches, it would take, to be complicit in the present takeover and for how many years this has been in the planning. I realize it predates Trump's first term, although Trump was not obviously not aware of the part he was to play and still doesn't realize he is being used... to the ends to which he is being used. Although, I do realize he doesn't care... as long as he gets to play with the big boys.
My guess is the timing related to the break up of AT&T. Corporations/the 1%, realized their vulnerability and decided this was no longer an acceptable situation. Having worked with Protel at the time, the rumor was floating around that this government control issue was something that needed to be addressed... once and for all. About the same time I noticed a change in the way government was beginning to be restructured in reference to the funneling of dollars to elected and non elected government officials and employees. We are now seeing the final stages of their program...though I am not sure they thought it through as well as they think they did.
The world was different back in the late 60's, 70's and 80's...it's not the same play ground any longer. More bad guys everywhere, competing for less resources, with bigger and smaller more deadly/lethal stealthy weaponry that is cheaper and more accessible to everyone...they call it progress.
Cars are bought by people, not politicians or corporations. People despise musk. His car sales will continue to drop. Maybe not in the United States but everywhere else. He still has a fan base here, unfortunately. And the board will never get rid of him because they have gotten huge salaries because of him. So at some point something will break. And the fact that the city of Austin is allowing these dangerous vehicles is concerning. Who is getting bribed? I’m wondering why Waymo’s don’t operate in Austin? Those actually work.