Category Archives: Elon Musk

In a tweet that is definitely not meant to distract from the news that hes planning on laying off about 10 percent of his workforce, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that he was shifting the companys AI Day event from August to September in anticipation of being able to show off a working Optimus prototype.

Youll recall that Optimus is the name given to the humanoid robot that Musk said will take on the repetitive, boring tasks that humans are loath to do. The robot was revealed during Teslas last AI day in August 2021, and as with all things Musk, its difficult to parse the reality from the smokescreen of bullshit he tends to throw out. After promising to reveal a working prototype sometime in 2022, the evening was capped by a person in a spandex robot costume taking the stage and doing an extremely awkward dance.

Teslas history is littered with fanciful ideas that never panned out, like a solar-powered Supercharger network, battery swapping, robotic snake-style chargers, city-to-city rocket travel, or a self-driving car you could summon from across the country.

Musk is very good at generating headlines, especially when theres bad news from which to distract. His move to buy Twitter is slowly unraveling, with federal regulators examining whether he broke the rules when he initially bought a 9 percent stake in the company. And lest we forget, Tesla is still under investigation for the tendency of its vehicles to crash into parked emergency vehicles while using the same AI software that will supposedly power this robot.

Sure, Musk does deliver on some of his promises. He makes cars, some of which can reliably handle some of the driving tasks, but not at the expense of the drivers attention. He builds rockets that can land themselves and be reused. But a humanoid robot like what Musk is promising should be taken with a Mars-sized grain of salt.

Building a human-replacing robot is something no company on earth is close to achieving. Even Boston Dynamics, which makes one of the most advanced bipedal robots in the world, has never described its machines as anything other than experimental. Its Atlas robot still frequently trips and falls, despite over a decade of work.

If you think Musk is going to be able to leapfrog that work in a year, Ive got some oceanfront property in Arizona you should really check out.

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Elon Musk says Tesla's fake robot might be ready by September 30th - The Verge

Tribune Web Desk

Chandigarh, June 2

Business magnate Elon Musk is known to be in news for varied reasons. This time, netizens have called out the billionaire to remind him of a promise that he made ten years ago.

In 2011, Musk, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, reportedly claimed that his company will send a man on Mars in next ten years. A decade later, people have not forgotten his promise and have taken to Twitter to remind him of the claim.

A user, Wild Geerters, shared an old image of the video interview in a tweet. Soon after being shared, the tweet garnered over 40,000 likes.

Netizens are asking him whether or not he is committed to push his vision through. Many took jibe at him and initiated a meme fest.

#elon musk

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Twitterati reminds Elon Musk of a promise he made ten years ago - The Tribune India

Joe Biden, touting a better-than-expected jobs report, responded to reports that Elon Musk has a super bad feeling about the economic outlook and that he wants to slash jobs at Tesla by 10%.

While Elon Musk is talking about that, Ford is increasing their investment, overwhelmingly. I think Ford is increasing the investment in building new electric vehicles. Six thousand employees union employees, I might add, in the Midwest. The former Chrysler Corporation, they also are making similar investments in electric vehicles. Intel is adding 20,000 new jobs making computer chips. So, you know, lots of luck on his trip to the moon.

Musk made the comments in an email to executives, Reuters reported.

Biden trumpeted the jobs numbers for May. They showed that the economy added 390,000 jobs and that unemployment remained unchanged at 3.6%. Some economists also were encouraged by figures showing a slowdown in wage growth as a factor that could slow inflation.

Musk has yet to respond to Bidens remarks. Earlier on Friday, he announced his endorsement of developer Rick Caruso in the Los Angeles mayoral primary, which is on Tuesday.

Biden said that there is no denying that high prices, particularly around gasoline and food, are a real problem for people. But there is every reason for the American people to feel confident that we will meet these challenges.

Musk has complained that the administration has done everything it can to sideline and ignore Tesla, even though we have made twice as many EVs as [the] rest of U.S. industry combined. Musks SpaceX also is planning a mission to the moon. NASA last year awarded SpaceX to develop the lunar lander

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Joe Biden On Elon Musks Super Bad Feeling About The Economy: Lots Of Luck On His Trip To The Moon - Deadline

For the sixthyear in a row, Japan has witnessed a further fall in its number of births. In 2021 the nation saw a 3.5 per cent fall from the previous year (2020).Last year, the nationjust had 811,604 births which is the lowest level on record, as per data by Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.This is the lowest number of births in the country's 123-year history; the country began keeping records in 1899, and the year 2021 saw the lowest numbers ever.

Incidentally, if you were to look at news items for the nation's birth rates for the past few years, every year this record gets broken. Last year (2020) it was 840,832 births and this year a further 3.5 per cent fall to 811,604 is seen.

Also read |To meet labour crunch, aid an aging population Japan develops 'BEX' a goat-robot

The country's total fertility rate, which is the number of children a Japanese woman will have in her lifetime also fell by 0.30 points. This rate stands at 1.30 per woman.

Japan'sfertility ratehas witnessed a steady decline since 1975 when it first fell below 2.0.

Watch |Gravitas Plus: The world's fertility rate is falling. Here's why

In 2005 it reached its nadir - the lowest of 1.26. However, the next few years saw a gradual rise, with it reaching 1.45 in 2015. Since then, for six years now it has slid lower and lower.

Also read |Elon Musk says Japan would 'eventually cease to exist'. Here's what he meant by it

In recent years, the Coronavirus pandemic and a larger number of people choosing to stay single, get married later or not have offspring have meant that this downward trend has continued.A few weeks back, Tesla CEO Elon Musk had also voiced concerns about Japan's falling birth rate, warning that Japan may soon "cease to exist" adding that it would be a great loss for the world.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Japan sees record breaking fall in birth rate. Was Elon Musk right, will the country `cease to exist`? - WION

A former SpaceX employee said Elon Musk exposed himself to her and propositioned her for sex in 2016.

SpaceX paid the woman a $250,000 settlement, which included a non-disclosure agreement, in 2018, Business Insider reported Thursday. The woman was working as a flight attendant for SpaceX at the time.

Musk, 50, denied the claims in the Insider report.

If I were inclined to engage in sexual harassment, this is unlikely to be the first time in my entire 30-year career that it comes to light, he told the outlet, saying there was a lot more to this story.

The womans friend spoke to Insider after filing a declaration in support of the woman. She was not bound by the NDA.

He whipped out his penis, it was erect, the friend told Insider about the incident.

She said Musk often received massages on his private flights and that her friend got a massage license so she could work with Musk more often, Insider reported. The woman massaged Musk on several flights prior to the incident, the friend said.

On one flight to London, the woman was giving Musk a massage when he disrobed and exposed himself, the friend told Insider. Musk offered to buy the woman, an avid horse rider, a horse in exchange for sexual favors, the friend said.

The woman turned Musk down and eventually left the room, the friend told Insider. She confided in the friend shortly afterward.

According to the friends account, the woman was essentially demoted at work after turning Musk down, Insider reported. She got a lawyer in 2018 and filed an HR complaint at SpaceX.

After the complaint, SpaceX offered the woman $250,000 in exchange for not suing and agreeing to the NDA, according to Insider. The woman did not speak to Insider for the story.

Insider said Musk asked for more time to respond to questions. Despite holding the story for several days, the outlet said Musk did not provide more details.

Wednesday, Musk tweeted, Political attacks on me will escalate dramatically in coming months.

The eccentric multibillionaire agreed to buy Twitter for about $44 billion earlier this year.

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Elon Musk accused of sexual harassment, reportedly paid $250,000 hush money

After a report alleged SpaceX paid a flight attendant to settle a sexual misconduct case against Elon Musk, the tech billionaire called it a politically motivated attack. Musk is seen here in March, at a new Tesla factory in Germany. Christian Marquardt/Getty Images hide caption

After a report alleged SpaceX paid a flight attendant to settle a sexual misconduct case against Elon Musk, the tech billionaire called it a politically motivated attack. Musk is seen here in March, at a new Tesla factory in Germany.

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is hitting back at an accusation of sexual misconduct, saying a news article alleging that he propositioned a flight attendant on a private plane is false and politically motivated.

The denial comes after Insider published portions of a declaration with a woman who says Musk exposed himself to her friend and improperly touched her in 2016, when the woman's friend worked as a flight attendant on SpaceX's fleet of corporate jets.

The woman says Musk asked her friend to perform sex acts in exchange for him buying her a horse. Earlier, the flight attendant had reportedly been encouraged to learn how to give massages.

The flight attendant filed a sexual misconduct claim against Musk, and SpaceX paid her $250,000 in 2018 as part of a settlement that's bound by non-disclosure and non-disparagement clauses, Insider reported.

Musk defended himself on Twitter the platform he's in the process of buying saying late Thursday, "for the record, those wild accusations are utterly untrue."

Insider says it derived details about the alleged incident from conversations with the woman, who says she provided a declaration to support her friend's claim because the flight attendant had confided in her about the incident. The outlet says it also reviewed emails and other records.

Musk is portraying the report as part of a political attack on him, saying it's linked to him saying on Wednesday that he is switching his support from Democratic to Republican candidates. He ended that message by stating, "Now, watch their dirty tricks campaign against me unfold."

Musk later reiterated that the misconduct claim is a political attack, saying that the woman airing the allegations "is a far left activist/actress in LA with a major political axe to grind." He also endorsed a name for the scandal: Elongate.

But minutes after sending that message, Musk lodged another accusation: that Insider had published a hit piece on him, "to interfere with the Twitter acquisition."

Insider says it published its story only after asking Musk for comment, adding that it pushed back its deadline after the billionaire asked for more time to respond to the allegation.

Continued here:

Elon Musk denies a report accusing him of sexual misconduct on a SpaceX ...

SpaceX and Shotwell didnt immediately respond to requests for comment.

Shotwells remarks came in response to a bombshell report from Insider last week, which said that Musk had exposed himself to a flight attendant in 2016 and offered to buy the woman a horse in exchange for an erotic massage. SpaceX reportedly settled the claim four years ago for $250,000.

Musk has vehemently denied the accusations, saying they are politically motivated. The attacks against me should be viewed through a political lens this is their standard (despicable) playbook but nothing will deter me from fighting for a good future and your right to free speech, Musk tweeted after the articles publication.

The claims come amid a chaotic Twitter buyout proposal from Musk. Last month, he laid out his plan for the platform, envisioning it as a beacon of free speech and transparency in content moderation. Musk said hed open-source Twitters algorithms and undo the ban on former president Donald Trump instituted after the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Musk said last week that he was putting the bid on hold over details of Twitters disclosures on the number of bots on the platform, though he said he is still committed to the deal. In response, Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal posted a long tweet thread explaining the companys procedures regarding bots. Musk replied with a poop emoji.

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Elon Musk's Employee Said Her Boss Is A Great Guy - BuzzFeed News

Tesla chief Elon Musk and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

When Tesla chief Elon Musk overtook Amazon founder Jeff Bezos as the worlds richest person for the first time last September, Musk told Forbes he was sending a giant statue of the digit 2 to Jeffrey B., along with a silver medal. Nearly eight months later, neither man is likely in a joking mood.

The U.S. stock market rout this year has seen to that, taking a massive chunk out of public company values. With inflation surging and interest rates rising throughout the first half of 2022, stock markets are facing some of the worst starts to a year in history. The S&P 500 just posted its seventh straight week of losses, its longest down streak since March 2001. And the Nasdaq just ended its worst month (April) since October 2008.

The fortunes of the 50 richest people on the planet (worth a combined $2.9 trillion as of last Fridays close) have shriveled by more than half a trillion dollars since the beginning of the year, according to Forbes estimates. No one has lost more than Musk and Bezos, whose net worths have cratered by a combined $123.6 billion from December 31 through Friday May 20.

Since the beginning of 2022, the fortunes of Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have cratered by a combined $124 billion, Forbes estimates.

Bezos, worth an estimated $133.3 billion as of Friday, is $59.3 billion poorer than he was on December 31. Shares of Amazon have sunk by 35% over that period, outpacing the tech heavy Nasdaqs 27% drop over the same period. But compared to his rival Musk, Bezos, who stepped down as Amazons CEO to become executive chairman last July, may be more of a victim of circumstance with less control over his falling fortune.

Amazon is a work from home poster child and the stock has been crushed as the average consumer is now shopping in more normalized patterns than the last few years, says Wedbush analyst Dan Ives. In this risk-off market, Amazon along with other tech stocks have been under massive pressure.

Thats not to say that Bezos, who now ranks as the worlds third richest person after Bernard Arnault of French luxury empire LVMH (worth $142.3 billion as of Friday, after seeing a $57.2 billion drop since December 31), is sitting idly by as his fortune dwindles. In fact, the typically reserved Amazon chairman has ripped a page out of Musks playbook, taking to Twitter to criticize the Biden Administration for stoking inflation with its spending.

Musk, who briefly became the first person ever to be worth $300 billion or more when Teslas market capitalization surpassed $1 trillion twice in November and January, has also faced headwinds out of his control for example, production issues in China due to the countrys latest round of Covid lockdowns. But hes also played a more active role in sending his own fortune down tens of billions to $207.3 billion; hes down $113 billion from his all-time peak on November 4 and down $64.3 billion since the end of December.

Most of the 37% decline in shares of Tesla so far this year through May 20 has come in the past six weeks. The electric vehicle makers stock has fallen by 35% since April 13, the day before Musk announced his $44 billion Twitter takeover. That is double the Nasdaqs 17% loss over the same period. The acquisition has overshadowed the record revenue and profits Tesla reported for its most recent quarter on April 20. Musk did earn $23 billion worth of performance-based options that day (now worth $15 billion), partially offsetting the drop in his fortune.

Wedbushs Ives earlier summed up Tesla investors concerns about the Twitter acquisition, noting that worries about Musk selling Tesla stock to pay for the Twitter deal and distraction fears for Elon are causing a bear festival on the name.

The deal to acquire Twitter has certainly been distracting. Tesla investors briefly rejoiced on May 13, when Musk tweeted that the takeover was on hold over concerns about the number of spam and fake accounts on the social media platform, leading many to speculate that hes looking for a way out because tech stocks had tanked since he made his $44 billion offer. But the celebration ended quickly, when Twitters board responded in a statement to the New York Times last Tuesday that it intends to close the transaction and enforce the merger agreement between the company and Musk, hinting at the possibility of litigation.

Tesla investors are still faced with the question of how Musk will finance the $27.3 billion equity commitment he made to Twitters board, with little more than $8 billion of cash on hand, according to Forbes estimates. Hes pledged not to sell any more Tesla shares, after unloading more than $8 billion worth (pre-tax) last month, but he may not have any other choice. Given Twitters limited free cash flows and the falling value of Tesla shares that would likely be required as collateral, Musks bankers may be reluctant to lend him any more money (hed already pledged more than half his Tesla stake as collateral for other loans before pursuing Twitter). And with sexual misconduct allegations (which Musk denied on Twitter) now hanging over his head, outside investors may be hesitant to chip in for a deal he was forced to close. (Musk has not responded to Forbes request for comment).

According to Columbia University law professor John Coffee, Musk could be forced to sell a lot of his Tesla stock (which is his only real asset). That will drive the price down and some shareholders in anticipation of such sales are getting out early. (Forbes estimates that Musk holds a 47% stake in his rocket producer SpaceX worth $42.7 billion, though as a private company it is much less liquid than his Tesla shares).

Musk may have an opportunity to win back some Tesla shareholders with additional clarity regarding his plans at Twitters annual shareholder meeting this Wednesday, which Wedbush analysts Dan Ives and John Katsingris described in a note as a fork in the road situation [for Musk] in which he has to decide his next step in this soap opera as Tesla investor patience is wearing very thin.

The path forward for Bezos may be even less certain, largely dependent upon macroeconomic factors and investors rediscovering their appetites for tech stocks. But despite the challenging start to 2022, Bezos and Musk remain a combined $203 billion richer than they were at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020.

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Billionaires Elon Musk And Jeff Bezos Have Lost $124 Billion This Year - Forbes

San Francisco, May 25

Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Wednesday slammed billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates after a report claimed that the Microsoft co-founder poured millions into attacking Musk's $44 billion acquisition of Twitter.

Far-right publication Breitbart News claimed that hundreds of millions of dollars flew from Gates' foundation to 11 of the 26 organisations that "signed an open letter last month urging Twitter advertisers to boycott the company if Elon Musk restores free speech on the platform".

Citing research and analysis from the Foundation for Freedom Online (FFO), the report analysed public filings to trace hundreds of millions of dollars in contributions from the letter signatories back to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

"In total, 11 of the 26 anti-Musk organisations received funding from a Gates-backed entity," the report claimed.

Musk replied: "What a d*** move!"

"You think that's bad, wait until you find out what he put in your vaccine," Musk replied to a follower.

As per FFO's analysis, Gates Foundation paid 102 separate cash grants to or through New Venture Fund, totaling $457 million.

Soros, Clinton, Obama staffers shoot off anti-Musk letter to boycott Twitter After Musk tweeted about "who funds these organisations that want to control your access to information", the reports surfaced late on Wednesday that the groups behind the anti-Musk campaign belong to wealthy Democrat donors and their family foundations, labour unions and the governments of European nations.

Earlier this month, about 26 activist organisations and NGOs signed a letter to Twitter advertisers asking them to boycott the platform if Musk makes content moderation changes.

It was later revealed that some of these groups are funded or tied to billionaire philanthropist George Soros, former US presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

"Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter will further toxify our information ecosystem and be a direct threat to public safety, especially among those already most vulnerable and marginalised," the groups wrote to advertisers.

"Under Musk's management, Twitter risks becoming a cesspool of misinformation, with your brand attached, polluting our information ecosystem in a time where trust in institutions and news media is already at an all-time low," the groups wrote.

The Daily Mail had first revealed the people behind the 26 groups.

Musk has put the Twitter deal on hold till the company reveals the actual number of bots on its platform.

He has sparred with Gates on Twitter earlier too over various issues.

Gates had expressed apprehension regarding Musk's Twitter takeover, saying he could potentially make the micro-blogging site a "worse" platform.

Musk earlier tweeted a picture of Gates, accusing him of shorting Tesla's stock.

Gates replied, saying Musk's tweeting "doesn't bother me". IANS

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Bill Gates 'poured' millions into attacking Elon Musk, Tesla CEO tweets wait until you find out what he put in your vaccine - The Tribune India

Elon Musk, fresh off of a week of what is now in retrospect only moderately unhinged tweets, is now tweeting about the Far Right's cherished Replacement Theory.

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In addition to being close with the Buffalo shooter's screeds, this theory was, as noted by others on Twitter, a popular conversation topic in the waning days of Apartheid South Africa, a time and place rich with history for a young Elon.

None of this is surprising. Ahead of accusations of being a sex pest at SpaceX and attempting to barter a handjob for a horse, Elon claimed he was now a card-carrying Republican, and that hit pieces would follow. As one reporter pointed out, Elon does not refute; he attacks.

This plan of attack sends Elon down an increasingly racist and right-wing direction. This is not the least successful career path in the United States, certainly it can get you elected to the White House. But Elon's job is a little different. He sells cars. He sells fancy, high-tech cars to liberals. Theoretically, as he goes right, he will become unpalatable to this left-wing audience. We all know someone with a Tesla. This person is not talking replacement theory.

Then again, maybe not! The liberal enclave of Silicon Valley is less liberal than it likes to present itself. This is Peter Thiel's part of the country, and Peter Thiel is far from a peace-loving hippie. Maybe Musk's racist turn won't hurt Tesla sales. Sure Tesla's stock has been down, but it fluctuates. Maybe this all ends up as Twitter drama. Maybe we'll all be surprised. Maybe we'll just be disappointed.

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Elon Musk Is Trying to Figure Out How Racist He Can Be - Road & Track