tech

Rani Molla6/23/25

Tesla is soaring on successful robotaxi launch

Tesla’s stock is currently surging more than 9% this morning and leading the S&P 500, after what was by most accounts a successful robotaxi launch this weekend.

Though way smaller and more restricted than what normal people would consider autonomous driving, no one got hurt, and that’s very good news for Tesla, which opened up the app in Austin to about 20 or so pro-Tesla influencers who broadcast their rides.

After taking a couple of rides in the robotaxis yesterday, Wedbush Securities analyst and Tesla bull Dan Ives reiterated his belief that the service could add another $1 trillion to the company’s $1 trillion market cap. “Overall, these Robotaxis exceeded our expectations and offered a seamless and personalized travel experience that has lit the spark for autonomous driving,” he wrote.

The launch is very important to Tesla, which has been struggling due to weak demand for its regular vehicles. Indeed, CEO Elon Musk has repeatedly said that most of the company is riding on the success of its autonomous products.

“The future of the company is fundamentally based on large-scale autonomous cars and large scale and large volume, vast numbers of autonomous humanoid robots,” Musk said during the company’s last earnings call.

Tesla’s robotaxi launch, by the numbers

Tesla’s robotaxi launch, by the numbers

After taking a couple of rides in the robotaxis yesterday, Wedbush Securities analyst and Tesla bull Dan Ives reiterated his belief that the service could add another $1 trillion to the company’s $1 trillion market cap. “Overall, these Robotaxis exceeded our expectations and offered a seamless and personalized travel experience that has lit the spark for autonomous driving,” he wrote.

The launch is very important to Tesla, which has been struggling due to weak demand for its regular vehicles. Indeed, CEO Elon Musk has repeatedly said that most of the company is riding on the success of its autonomous products.

“The future of the company is fundamentally based on large-scale autonomous cars and large scale and large volume, vast numbers of autonomous humanoid robots,” Musk said during the company’s last earnings call.

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Jon Keegan10/1/25

Meta will begin using your AI chats to target you with ads

When Meta rolls out a new product, the company usually waits until that product has a billion users before turning on the ads.

In May, Meta announced that Meta AI has crossed that threshold, saying that more than 1 billion people are using the product every month. Today, Meta announced that it will begin using your conversations and messages with Meta AI to personalize your recommendations and the ads you see.

Meta currently monetizes your activity on Meta platforms using your interactions (likes, shares, attention) to tailor your exposure to Meta’s massive advertising machine. So if you asked Meta AI about travel tips for your upcoming vacation, you might now see more content and ads related to that place. But what if you’re asking Meta AI about how to deal with your depression?

In a blog post, the company shared:

“When people have conversations with Meta AI about topics such as their religious views, sexual orientation, political views, health, racial or ethnic origin, philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership, as always, we don’t use those topics to show them ads.”

But Meta has a spotty record when it comes to protecting sensitive personal information from leaking into its ad platform. Meta’s pixel-tracking technology has been found to pick up sensitive information regarding mental heath crises, financial information, and medical information.

Meta says you can manage the ads you see via controls in its privacy settings, but it’s unclear if users can opt out of the use of Meta AI conversations and interactions for ads and recommendations altogether.

The company said users will start to see notifications about the changes this month, which will go into effect on December 16, 2025.

Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Improving Your Recommendations on Our Apps With AI at Meta

Improving Your Recommendations on Our Apps With AI at Meta

Meta currently monetizes your activity on Meta platforms using your interactions (likes, shares, attention) to tailor your exposure to Meta’s massive advertising machine. So if you asked Meta AI about travel tips for your upcoming vacation, you might now see more content and ads related to that place. But what if you’re asking Meta AI about how to deal with your depression?

In a blog post, the company shared:

“When people have conversations with Meta AI about topics such as their religious views, sexual orientation, political views, health, racial or ethnic origin, philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership, as always, we don’t use those topics to show them ads.”

But Meta has a spotty record when it comes to protecting sensitive personal information from leaking into its ad platform. Meta’s pixel-tracking technology has been found to pick up sensitive information regarding mental heath crises, financial information, and medical information.

Meta says you can manage the ads you see via controls in its privacy settings, but it’s unclear if users can opt out of the use of Meta AI conversations and interactions for ads and recommendations altogether.

The company said users will start to see notifications about the changes this month, which will go into effect on December 16, 2025.

Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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