tech

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is getting back into politics

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is cutting big checks to the GOP for the midterm elections as he dives back into politics, Axios reports.

Students of history might remember when Tesla’s stock tanked in the first half of the year thanks in part to Musk’s political machinations with DOGE. Or when Musk’s beef with the president of the United States sent the stock down sharply — twice. Or when Musk formed a competing third political party that also hurt the stock.

When Tesla’s board of directors laid out his latest humongous pay package, which has since been approved by shareholders, they said it was “critical” that it “receive assurances that Musk’s involvement with the political sphere would wind down in a timely manner.”

At the same time, they didn’t really put any guardrails in place to make sure that happened. And here we are!

Scoop: Elon Musk diving into 2026 midterms for the GOP

Scoop: Elon Musk diving into 2026 midterms for the GOP

When Tesla’s board of directors laid out his latest humongous pay package, which has since been approved by shareholders, they said it was “critical” that it “receive assurances that Musk’s involvement with the political sphere would wind down in a timely manner.”

At the same time, they didn’t really put any guardrails in place to make sure that happened. And here we are!

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Tesla closes at all-time high

Tesla closed at an all-time high today of over $489. The company has been riding high as it tests its autonomous Robotaxi service without safety monitors and takes a bigger chunk of shrinking EV market share. Its previous high was $479 on December 17 last year.

tech

Tesla competitor Slate has 150,000 reservations and its mid-$20,000 price is “firm”

So-called Tesla killer Slate Auto now has 150,000 reservations, up 50% from this summer, for the company’s low-cost electric truck, according to CEO Chris Barman, who posted an “ask me anything” today. While that’s not exactly gangbusters interest for the truck, which is expected to come out late next year, it shows that new reservations are outpacing attrition.

The interest has kept up even as EV interest wanes following the end of the government’s $7,500 tax credit.

“The Slate is still affordable,” Barman said of the credit’s effect on the truck’s mid-$20,000 price point. “It doesn’t matter.”

She also noted that the SUV kit will cost $5,000 and test drives will start next year.

As we reported yesterday, typical automakers are rolling back their EV production, leaving room for EV-only companies like Tesla and Slate to gain market share.

tech

Instagram Reels is coming to a TV near you

Move over, Netflix. Meta is bringing Instagram Reels to a TV near you. The company on Tuesday unveiled its first dedicated TV app, letting users watch its short-form, user-generated videos on bigger screens. The app will debut on Amazon’s Fire TV before expanding to other platforms.

Instagram now competes not only with social video rivals like TikTok and YouTube, but increasingly with long-form streaming entertainment as well. Netflix, for instance, has argued that it needs to buy Warner Bros. Discovery in order to better compete with platforms like YouTube, which people spend more time watching on TV than anything else. YouTube may offer traditional streaming bundles, but much of its content still comes from user uploads — underscoring how deeply social video has encroached on the living room.

Instagram’s new TV app suggests Meta sees the same opportunity: if social video is already capturing big-screen attention, it wants a larger share of it.

Instagram Debuts Dedicated Television App for Amazon Fire TV

Instagram Debuts Dedicated Television App for Amazon Fire TV

Instagram now competes not only with social video rivals like TikTok and YouTube, but increasingly with long-form streaming entertainment as well. Netflix, for instance, has argued that it needs to buy Warner Bros. Discovery in order to better compete with platforms like YouTube, which people spend more time watching on TV than anything else. YouTube may offer traditional streaming bundles, but much of its content still comes from user uploads — underscoring how deeply social video has encroached on the living room.

Instagram’s new TV app suggests Meta sees the same opportunity: if social video is already capturing big-screen attention, it wants a larger share of it.

tech

Report: OpenAI and Mattel hit pause on AI toys

This summer, OpenAI and Mattel announced a deal to bring AI-powered toys and games to market. According to a new report from Axios, those plans are currently on hold.

Recently, stories have emerged of how potentially dangerous AI-powered toys can be when the proper guardrails have not been put in place.

OpenAI has faced increased scrutiny of its safety mechanisms for chatbots after several tragic failures that led to deaths. Congress is starting to examine the psychological risks of AI use by those with mental health issues, and children’s use of AI companions.

Scoop: Mattel and OpenAI won't release their AI toy in 2025

Scoop: Mattel and OpenAI won't release their AI toy in 2025

OpenAI has faced increased scrutiny of its safety mechanisms for chatbots after several tragic failures that led to deaths. Congress is starting to examine the psychological risks of AI use by those with mental health issues, and children’s use of AI companions.

tech

Tesla’s 29 Austin Robotaxis have crashed 8 times since June, as data suggests they perform much worse than human drivers

Tesla’s 29 Austin Robotaxis have been involved in eight crashes since they launched in June, Electrek reports, citing National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data you can download here. Those crashes for the most part involved property damage, and only in one case led to a minor injury. Notably, the crashes occurred with a safety monitor in the front seat.

As Electrek notes, that data suggests Tesla Robotaxis are crashing once every 40,000 miles, whereas the average human driver in the US crashes about once every 500,000 miles. On Tesla’s Full Self-Driving page, the company claims vehicles with the technology engaged have 7x fewer major and minor collisions — a claim that experts like Carnegie Mellon’s Phil Koopman have said doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.

Over the weekend, Tesla began testing two more Robotaxis without those safety monitors, in hopes of achieving CEO Elon Musk’s latest goal of removing them from the Austin fleet by year’s end.

Tesla reports another Robotaxi crash, even with supervisor as it moves to remove them

Tesla Robotaxi had 3 more crashes, now 7 total

As Electrek notes, that data suggests Tesla Robotaxis are crashing once every 40,000 miles, whereas the average human driver in the US crashes about once every 500,000 miles. On Tesla’s Full Self-Driving page, the company claims vehicles with the technology engaged have 7x fewer major and minor collisions — a claim that experts like Carnegie Mellon’s Phil Koopman have said doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.

Over the weekend, Tesla began testing two more Robotaxis without those safety monitors, in hopes of achieving CEO Elon Musk’s latest goal of removing them from the Austin fleet by year’s end.

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