tech

6/4/25

Tesla sales are down in its biggest European markets

More data on Tesla sales in Europe — which CEO Elon Musk has called “our weakest market” — is out, and things are looking even worse for the electric vehicle company. Sales were also down in Italy, Germany, and the United Kingdom (Tesla’s biggest market on the continent) in May, marking the fifth straight month of declines in those countries, Reuters reports.

Meanwhile, sales for its EV competitors like BYD and electric vehicles in general were up.

Tesla blames the declines on the lack of availability of its refreshed Model Y in those markets — something that has so far mostly failed to boost sales in the States.

Tesla did see a big jump in sales in Norway last month, but as Electrek noted, that was up from a particularly bad May 2024.

Tesla May sales fall in big European markets ahead of new Model Y deliveries

Tesla May sales fall in big European markets ahead of new Model Y deliveries

Meanwhile, sales for its EV competitors like BYD and electric vehicles in general were up.

Tesla blames the declines on the lack of availability of its refreshed Model Y in those markets — something that has so far mostly failed to boost sales in the States.

Tesla did see a big jump in sales in Norway last month, but as Electrek noted, that was up from a particularly bad May 2024.

More Tech

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Apple’s latest phone is betting on looks, while Google looks inward

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buried treasure

The world’s biggest illegal sports streaming platform just got shut down

Where piracy is concerned, authorities are playing an almost never-ending game of “whack-a-mole.”

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tech

5h

Meta: Facebook is for the children, basically

Meta has a youth problem that it keeps trying to fix using old stuff. This time it’s trying to bring back “pokes” — a feature from yesteryear the social media company had buried that allows users to digitally nudge others without having to say anything.

To make the feature shiny and new, the company is adding “counts,” along with a dedicated poke button and page, so users can keep track of who they poked or were poked by and how much.

Meta is hoping the updated feature will lead to more usage from young people, who’ve already started to adopt the practice thanks to previous pushes by Meta. Social media companies, like Snapchat and TikTok, have previously gotten into hot water before for similar gamification elements like “streaks” that critics have said are addictive.

The average age of Facebook users has been ticking up for years as the company loses young people to newer services, including Instagram, which Meta bought more than a decade ago, back when it was still called Facebook. According to the latest data from Pew Research Center, released last winter, teens were way less inclined to use Facebook than TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat.

Facebook is trying to make 'pokes' happen again | TechCrunch

Facebook is trying to make 'pokes' happen again | TechCrunch

Meta is hoping the updated feature will lead to more usage from young people, who’ve already started to adopt the practice thanks to previous pushes by Meta. Social media companies, like Snapchat and TikTok, have previously gotten into hot water before for similar gamification elements like “streaks” that critics have said are addictive.

The average age of Facebook users has been ticking up for years as the company loses young people to newer services, including Instagram, which Meta bought more than a decade ago, back when it was still called Facebook. According to the latest data from Pew Research Center, released last winter, teens were way less inclined to use Facebook than TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat.

tech

22h

OpenAI is working on a “jobs platform” for people who lose their jobs to AI

OpenAI has some good news and bad news for workers. The bad news? AI will probably take your job. The good news? The company will offer AI-powered classes to retrain you, and try to help you get a job as a certified AI pro.

The company announced plans for the OpenAI Jobs Platform, in partnership with Walmart, John Deere, and Accenture, to help workers looking to level up their AI skills, and match them with companies seeking such candidates.

In a blog post announcing the plan, the company wrote:

“But AI will also be disruptive. Jobs will look different, companies will have to adapt, and all of us—from shift workers to CEOs—will have to learn how to work in new ways. At OpenAI, we can’t eliminate that disruption. But what we can do is help more people become fluent in AI and connect them with companies that need their skills, to give people more economic opportunities. “

Using AI-powered instruction, users can receive certification for their training, and OpenAI said it is committing to certifying 10 million Americans on its platform by 2030.

Expanding economic opportunity with AI

Expanding economic opportunity with AI

The company announced plans for the OpenAI Jobs Platform, in partnership with Walmart, John Deere, and Accenture, to help workers looking to level up their AI skills, and match them with companies seeking such candidates.

In a blog post announcing the plan, the company wrote:

“But AI will also be disruptive. Jobs will look different, companies will have to adapt, and all of us—from shift workers to CEOs—will have to learn how to work in new ways. At OpenAI, we can’t eliminate that disruption. But what we can do is help more people become fluent in AI and connect them with companies that need their skills, to give people more economic opportunities. “

Using AI-powered instruction, users can receive certification for their training, and OpenAI said it is committing to certifying 10 million Americans on its platform by 2030.

tech

23h

Trump administration plans to loosen rules for self-driving cars, exempt them from windshield wipers

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said Thursday it’s planning to propose three new rules that will make it easier for self-driving car companies to develop their vehicles more cheaply. Those include getting rid of requirements that were mandatory for human drivers, including gear shift sticks, windshield defrosting and defogging systems, and some lighting equipment.

“Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards were written for vehicles with human drivers and need to be updated for autonomous vehicles. Removing these requirements will reduce costs and enhance safety,” NHTSA Chief Counsel Peter Simshauser said in a statement.

Earlier this year NHTSA announced it was loosening other rules around autonomous cars, including exempting them from certain federal safety rules for research and demonstration purposes. This time around, however, stocks like Tesla, which is banking on autonomous driving as part of the future of the company, aren’t moving as much on the news.

Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy Advances AV Framework with Plans to Modernize Safety Standards | NHTSA

“Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards were written for vehicles with human drivers and need to be updated for autonomous vehicles. Removing these requirements will reduce costs and enhance safety,” NHTSA Chief Counsel Peter Simshauser said in a statement.

Earlier this year NHTSA announced it was loosening other rules around autonomous cars, including exempting them from certain federal safety rules for research and demonstration purposes. This time around, however, stocks like Tesla, which is banking on autonomous driving as part of the future of the company, aren’t moving as much on the news.

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