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Elon Musk Weekly News Update: Tesla, SpaceX, X, Neuralink, and More · Elon Musk Podcast

0:01
Hey, everybody. Welcome back to the Elon Musk
0:04
Podcast. This is a show where we discuss
0:07
the critical crossroads that shape SpaceX, Tesla X, The
0:11
Boring Company and Neuralink. I'm your host, Will Walden.
0:16
Elon Musk's AI company XAI is set to raise $6 billion in his
0:22
latest funding round. Now, this financial boost is
0:25
aimed at advancing research and development amid strong
0:27
competition in the AI sector, particularly facing Open AI,
0:33
which Musk was a Co founder of but left years later.
0:37
Now, investors participating in the Series B funding round
0:39
include prominent venture capital firms such as Anderson
0:42
Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, Valor Equity Partners, VI Capital, and
0:48
Fidelity Management and Research.
0:50
Additionally, Saudi Prince Alba, Lead Bintalal and Kingdom
0:55
holding are among the factors as announced on XA IS website and
1:00
according to Elon, XA is valuation before this funding
1:03
round was $18 billion. This new infusion of 6 billion
1:08
will elevate the startups evaluation to $24 billion.
1:12
The funds are intended to help XAI bring its initial products
1:15
to market, construct advanced infrastructure, and speed up the
1:18
development of future technologies.
1:21
This funding marks a significant step in the escalating AI
1:24
competition, where leading start-ups have been raising
1:27
substantial amounts to support the computational demands
1:30
required for training large language models.
1:33
Now these models form the backbone of generative AI tech
1:36
such as Open AI. Is ChatGPT.
1:39
Now? Open AI, who's the creator of
1:41
ChatGPT, has secured $13 billion in funding for Microsoft.
1:45
Another competitor, Anthropic, has raised over $6 billion.
1:49
In this context, Musk's X AI is attempting to catch up, having
1:53
been publicly launched in July of the previous year.
1:57
But some investors have expressed skepticism about XAIS
2:00
ability to compete given its late start.
2:03
And despite these concerns, X AI launched his chatbot Grok in
2:07
November, making it accessible to subscriber on Musk's social
2:10
media platform X. The company introduced its
2:13
latest AI model, Grok 1.5 learned.
2:16
The company introduced its latest AI model, Grok 1.5,
2:19
earlier this year, and Musk originally Co founded Open AI as
2:23
a nonprofit research lab in 2015 with Sam Altman, who currently
2:27
serves as Open AI CEO. However, Musk left the company
2:31
following a dispute over control.
2:33
Recently, tensions resurfaced when Musk and Open AI and Altman
2:36
accusing them of deviating from Open AI's initial mission for
2:40
profit motives. Since its inception, XA has been
2:44
closely integrated with X. The AI startup benefits from
2:47
exclusive access to X's vast repository of post for training
2:51
its models, and additionally, X AI employees have occasionally
2:54
operated from Twitter's long standing headquarters in
2:57
downtown San Francisco. Now, Elon Musk hinted at more
3:01
announcements in the coming weeks on X following the
3:03
fundraising revelation. And this development positions
3:06
X. AI as a significant player in
3:08
need to compete with established AI firms like Open AI and others
3:12
in the AI landscape. Now, the new funds are entirely
3:15
fresh capital as confirmed by Musk to Axios.
3:18
There's no indication that these are shares from Musk's
3:21
acquisition of Twitter. Despite the overlap of
3:23
investors, it remains unclear if the original backers of Twitter
3:27
received additional equity in X AI.
3:29
In addition to Anderson, Horowitz, and Sequoia Capital,
3:32
other notable investors in the Series B round include Valor
3:36
Equity, VI Capital, Prince, Alwaleed, Bin Talal, and Kingdom
3:41
Holding. It's a diverse group and there's
3:43
broad interest in XA is potential, and there is
3:46
potential to make a lot of money now.
3:49
XAI has not disclosed specific plans for the new funding.
3:51
However, recent reports from The Information suggest that the
3:55
company aims to build a massive new supercomputer, referred to
3:58
as the Gigafactory of Compute, possibly in collaboration with
4:02
Oracle. And the potential supercomputer,
4:05
as reported, would significantly exceed the capacity of existing
4:09
GPU clusters. The project would involve
4:12
Nvidia's high demand H 100 graphics processing units, which
4:16
are essential for data center operations and AI development.
4:21
Now, going back to Grok, the Grok 2 model required
4:24
approximately 20,000 NVIDIA H100 GPU's for training, according to
4:28
Elon. Future models such as Grok 3
4:31
will necessitate even more, with estimates suggesting up to
4:34
100,000 NVIDIA H100 chips now. Musk's establishment of X AI
4:41
last year was for a creation of a formidable competitor to
4:47
Microsoft backed Open AI and Google's AI endeavors.
4:51
His departure from Open AI and subsequent legal actions show
4:55
that there's ongoing tensions within the AI research
4:58
community. And there's a battle going on,
5:00
and it's great for all of us because we get better products
5:03
out of it. Now.
5:04
Bringing AI products to market is complex, even for leading
5:08
tech firms and even for Elon Musk.
5:09
It takes a lot of money and a lot of time and a lot of very
5:12
talented people to do this. Now, Google's recent
5:15
introduction of an AI generated search tool faced criticism for
5:19
delivering inaccurate information.
5:21
And this shows that it's very difficult to get these things
5:24
right. Investment in AI has surged.
5:27
It's sort of likethe.com bubble from earlier, but I don't think
5:31
it's going to be a bubble. It is not financial advice, by
5:35
the way, that is driven by the potential for these technologies
5:39
to transform various aspects of our lives, make life a lot
5:43
easier and work a lot easier too.
5:45
And major companies like Microsoft and Amazon have made
5:48
significant investments in AI firms, billions of dollars.
5:51
And there's potential for transformative technologies
5:55
here. And as Open AI and XAI continue
5:59
to compete, XAI is getting more funding, billions of dollars is
6:05
poised to advance his technological capabilities and
6:08
market presence within the next six months.
6:11
The new developments and further announcements from Musk will
6:14
shape the trajectory of XAI and also their competitors in the
6:19
coming years. Former President Donald J Trump,
6:22
who is currently facing 34 felony counts, has announced
6:25
plans to halt electric vehicle sales if he wins the upcoming
6:30
election, including Tesla's. He is rallying the oil and gas
6:34
industries for financial backing in exchange for reversing the
6:38
Biden administration's climate policies, including rolling back
6:41
emissions targets and slashing EV tax credits.
6:44
These proposals may not sit well with even Republican voters
6:48
given the job growth and investments linked to EV
6:51
production, especially in southern States.
6:53
And since Trump first took office in 2016, the EV market
6:57
has seen significant growth. In 2016, only around 159,000
7:02
electric vehicles were sold in the USA figure projected to
7:06
surpass 1.5 million in 2024. And despite Trump's opposition,
7:11
the market might have reached a growth point where it could
7:14
continue without substantial federal support.
7:17
Now, analysts believe the transition to EVs will persist,
7:19
albeit possibly at a slower rate, if Trump's policies are
7:22
implemented. William Clay Ford Junior, who is
7:26
the executive chair of Ford Motor, emphasized the challenge
7:30
of adapting to fluctuating political landscapes.
7:33
He said. Our time frame as a company, our
7:35
planning time frame, is a lot longer than election cycles.
7:39
He said this to the Detroit Free Press.
7:41
And investments in US manufacturing spurred by the
7:44
Inflation Reduction Act, or the IRA, are set to continue
7:48
regardless of a potential second term for Trump.
7:51
For instance, Hyundai is investing $13 billion in EV
7:54
production in Georgia, state Trump narrowly lost in 2020.
7:58
And by targeting policies that support these investments, Trump
8:01
risks undermining his support in states reliant on manufacturing
8:05
jobs. Now, the EV market has seen
8:08
substantial investments from automakers, charging companies
8:11
and dealership networks, making it unlikely that Trump could
8:14
entirely halt his momentum. States like Texas and Florida,
8:17
traditional Republican strongholds, have seen
8:20
increasing EV adoption, second only to California in
8:23
registrations. Now, this bipartisan consumer
8:26
base suggests that Trump's hardline stance might alienate a
8:30
significant portion of the electorate.
8:33
And Trump's vocal dissidain for electric vehicles is clear.
8:36
He has falsely claimed they are inefficient and pledged to
8:39
dismantle Biden's supportive policies.
8:41
Trump has proposed a 100% tariff on E VS imported from Mexico if
8:46
he regains the presidency, stating you're not going to be
8:50
able to sell those cars. Despite Trump's potential
8:53
actions, analysts argue that the market's growth trajectory might
8:57
continue independently. A record 1.2 million Americans
9:01
bought E VS last year, representing 7.6% of new car
9:04
sales. This number is expected to rise
9:06
10% this year, indicating a tipping point toward widespread
9:09
adoption. While a Trump presidency could
9:12
slow the EV transition, it's unlikely to stop it entirely.
9:16
The Biden administration's aggressive climate policies,
9:19
including a significant Environmental Protection Agency
9:23
rule and substantial tax incentives, have been pivotal in
9:26
driving EV adoption. Effort aims to make over 50% of
9:30
new passenger vehicles all electric by 2032.
9:35
Margot Ogg, a former head of EPA transportation emissions
9:39
program, said if Trump is elected, we absolutely will not
9:43
reach Biden's target. This is important.
9:46
If you can't get more EVs on the road, you can't do better for
9:51
the world and for the economy. So I don't know why Trump is
9:55
going to try to stop EVs. I, I don't understand that.
9:58
It's all politics, as we all know.
10:00
And Trump's dismissal of scientific evidence on climate
10:03
change and his courting of the fossil fuel industry.
10:06
It's all well documented. He's urged industry executives
10:09
to contribute a billion dollars to his campaign promising to
10:12
reverse Biden's climate policies if re elected.
10:16
Now there's a. Little.
10:17
Problem here because some of these fossil fuel companies are
10:21
transitioning to offering more EV tech in the future.
10:27
BP British Petroleum, as it used to be called, is transitioning
10:31
to EV chargers. They're making a whole charge
10:35
for EV chargers. So the whole industry of fossil
10:41
fuels is changing with the times, and so should everybody
10:44
else, in my opinion. I mean, if you're a fan of
10:47
Tesla, you should not be a fan of what Trump is doing.
10:50
And a second Trump administration could impact the
10:52
EV market, though. And it could rollback emissions
10:55
regulations in altering tax credit rules that Biden set up.
10:59
And if Republicans gained control of Congress to they
11:02
might work to repeal parts of the Inflation Reduction Act,
11:05
which has provided substantial support for clean energy and EV
11:08
manufacturing. And despite these potential
11:10
challenges, some automakers may continue their EV initiatives.
11:14
Analysts say that EV sales will persist, the company's
11:19
continuing to build charging infrastructure and other supply
11:22
chain components, and also the industry might lobby the
11:26
politicians to maintain favorable policies.
11:30
So historically, automakers have resisted stringent emissions
11:34
controls. However, given the current
11:36
investment in EV tech and infrastructure, sudden policy
11:40
reversal could harm the whole industry.
11:43
The automotive sector has significantly evolved since 2017
11:47
with substantial investments in EV productions, and automakers
11:51
like Ford have publicly opposed policy changes that disrupt long
11:55
term planning. I mean, they plan decades into
11:57
the future. And Ford has intervened in
11:59
lawsuits supporting EPA regulations against Republican
12:02
efforts to block emission limits now, William Clay Ford Junior
12:07
said. Our time frame as a company, our
12:09
planning time frame is a lot longer than election cycles.
12:12
Remember that. And other automakers might seek
12:14
to negotiate slower implementation of emissions
12:17
regulations rather than their complete removal.
12:21
The Republican controlled Congress stance on rescinding EV
12:24
tax credits remains uncertain. Right now.
12:27
There's benefits from these credits that bring business to
12:30
Georgia, South Carolina and Ohio and other states.
12:33
And Hyundai's significant investment in Georgia, $13
12:37
billion for EV and battery plants.
12:41
It shows that the scale is improving and everything's
12:44
getting bigger. It underscores the ongoing
12:47
industrial shift, which might be resilient against politicians
12:50
now, should Trump attempt to limit tax credits through
12:53
Treasury regulations, particularly targeting materials
12:57
like Chinese graphite, The EV industry might only face
13:00
temporary setbacks, but could probably drive the price up a
13:04
little bit. Companies are also planning
13:07
domestic graphite processing and alternatives, suggesting that
13:11
the market's growth may continue through all of this.
13:15
And federal tax credits have played a crucial role in making
13:18
EVs more affordable for everybody.
13:19
Because not everybody can go out and buy a $50,000 car that's a
13:25
huge down payment for a house and make it affordable with
13:28
these tax credits. And while Trump presidency might
13:32
slow sales, it wouldn't destroy the whole market.
13:35
EVs are here to stay, Tesla's here to stay, and the $4000 tax
13:39
credit has been instrumental in reducing costs for customers.
13:43
Now the 29 or 2021 bipartisan infrastructure laws allocation
13:48
of $7.5 billion for e.g. EV charging stations could be at
13:53
risk if Trump works with Congress to rescind it.
13:56
However, private investments in state funds have often outpaced
13:59
federal programs. Tesla's going to continue
14:02
building their charger infrastructure.
14:04
And Sarah Raphaelson of EV GOAT said increasing demand for EV
14:09
charges in Republican LED states indicate a growing market beyond
14:13
federal influence. The trend suggests that EV
14:16
adoption could persist even with potential political setbacks.
14:22
Now, Republican strategist Mike Murphy and the founder of the EV
14:26
Politics Project pointed out that some Republican insiders
14:30
quietly support EVs. Of course, because we all know
14:33
that politicians are a little bit underhanded sometimes, and
14:36
they don't always tell the truth.
14:38
They do little white lies. He said there will be sober,
14:41
quiet voices even in Trump land that will push back.
14:44
And the nice thing about Trump is that he can always change.
14:47
He's totally transactional at possible shifts in Trump's
14:52
stance based on practical considerations.
14:55
So if basically, if Trump can't get the money from the oil
14:59
companies, the big oil companies, and the market is
15:03
changing and everybody's pushing against him, he may change his
15:06
mind. And that would be a good thing
15:08
for all EV owners and Tesla fans.
15:12
And there's ongoing investment in the EV market right now,
15:15
particularly in states with Republican leadership.
15:18
And it's gonna be complex dynamics if Trump returns to
15:22
office, the market's evolution driven by substantial private
15:26
and state investments suggesting resilience that could withstand
15:31
any Trump or federal policy changes, Open AI announced on
15:37
Tuesday. That it has commenced training
15:39
its newest AI model to replace the current GPT 4 tech which
15:44
powers the powerful and popular ChatGPT chat bot.
15:48
This new development is part of open AIS broader goal to achieve
15:51
artificial intelligence. Its artificial general
15:55
intelligence actually AGIA concept that envisions machines
15:59
with cognitive capabilities akin to human brains.
16:03
In addition to this major update, Open AI revealed the
16:05
formation of a new committee dedicated to evaluating the
16:08
safety and security of its AI products.
16:11
This committee, which includes CEO Sam Altman, will conduct a
16:15
90 day review of the company's technology and release the
16:18
recommendations thereafter, he said.
16:20
We welcome a robust debate at this important moment,
16:24
emphasizing their openness to discuss anything regarding
16:28
safety measures and ethical considerations of their AI
16:31
developments. Now based in San Francisco, Open
16:34
AI is a leading player in the artificial intelligence sector,
16:38
known for widely used tools such as ChatGPT and also Doll E Now,
16:43
these technologies has seen significant adoption with large
16:46
corporations like Microsoft, a major financial backer of Open
16:50
AI, integrating them into their operations.
16:53
Now, the announcements come at a turbulent time for Open AI as
16:56
the company faces a series of challenges, including.
16:59
Lawsuits. High profile staff departures.
17:02
And concerns over the potential misuse of AI tech.
17:05
And among these issues are fears that AI could facilitate
17:08
election disinformation, job displacement, and copyright
17:12
infringement. Recently, Open AI introduced an
17:15
update to its AI technology GPT. Four O or GPT 4.
17:20
Omni enhancing chat GP TS capabilities to respond by voice
17:26
now, this update has not been without controversy as actress
17:29
Scarlett Johansson accused Open AI of creating a voice is really
17:33
similar to hers without permission.
17:35
We have an episode all about that a few episodes ago, so
17:38
please check that out after you listen to this one.
17:40
Now, Open AI responded to Johansson's accusations by
17:43
clarifying that the voice was not hers and that a voice actor
17:46
had been hired and paid substantially for that.
17:49
Despite this, Johansson has threatened legal action and this
17:53
is an ongoing concern about the ethical use of AI generated
17:56
content in the future. Now, the company is already
17:59
facing multiple lawsuits from news organizations, including
18:02
The New York Times, alleging that Open AIS methods of
18:05
training its chatbot technology infringe on copyrights.
18:10
These lawsuits challenge the practice of using vast amounts
18:13
of online data, such as news articles and other digital
18:16
content, to train AI models. And the departure of Open AI Co
18:20
founder Ilya Sutskever in May has added to the turmoil
18:25
internally now. They led the.
18:28
Team focused on the societal threats of AI resigned amid
18:33
criticism that Open AI was prioritizing profit over
18:36
addressing the dangers posed by the technology.
18:40
And the resignation followed a contentious episode in November
18:43
when he and other board members voted to oust Co founder Sam
18:46
Altman. And Altman was reinstated
18:48
shortly thereafter, leading to the resignation of Scutskever
18:53
and other dissenting directors from the board.
18:56
Now, the newly formed safety committee, chaired by Brett
18:59
Taylor, Cora CEO Adam D'Angelo, former Sony Entertainment
19:03
executive Nicole Seligman and Altman will focus on refining
19:07
open AI safety and security protocols.
19:10
This move comes shortly after former board members called for
19:13
increased regulation on AI technologies.
19:16
Now, these regulatory calls were echoed in a recent article in
19:19
The Economist, where former Open AI board members argue that AI
19:23
companies like Open AI cannot be trusted to self regulate
19:26
effectively. This has intensified the debate
19:29
over how to best manage the rapid advancements in AI
19:32
technology, and Open A IS aggressive push towards
19:35
developing more advanced AI models aims to outpace its
19:38
competitors while simultaneously addressing the criticisms
19:41
surrounding a IS potential dangers.
19:44
The company's ambition to achieve AGI remains a
19:46
contentious topic within the tech industry and beyond, and
19:50
the latest iteration of GPT 4, released in March of 2023, has
19:55
significant enhancements. Indeed.
19:58
Chat bots and other software applications performing complex
20:01
tasks, of course. Answering questions, generating
20:04
text, analyzing data. And the newest updated version,
20:09
GTP Four O, adds voice interaction capabilities,
20:13
further expanding the potential uses of the technology.
20:16
Now, if you're on a. Platform that can comment on
20:18
this podcast? Please let me know if you've
20:19
used the latest version of GPT 4 O for Omni.
20:24
Actually everybody calls it four O though, so I've been using it
20:29
recently to do some some coding work and apparently it's like
20:35
it's it's pretty similar to regular GPT 4, but I can use
20:38
voice commands to allow it to configure code for me instead of
20:43
typing everything out. It can do a lot of the work with
20:46
just me talking to it, which is pretty incredible actually.
20:50
Now trending these AI models like GPT 4 O involves extensive
20:54
data analysis including sounds, images, videos, and textual
20:58
content from various sources. This process can take gears,
21:02
possibly with additional time required for testing and fine
21:06
tuning before public release. So they've been working on this
21:09
for a very long time and we just got a peek at it.
21:12
And this isn't even the final version of this.
21:14
They're gonna keep iterating on it and making it better.
21:17
They're trying to blow away the competition, especially Grok and
21:21
Google's GPT models as well. They're gonna it.
21:26
It's a stiff competition out there right now.
21:28
So everything they include in an update is going to be pretty
21:32
ground breaking going forward. Multimodal actually is what
21:37
they're what they're working on right now.
21:39
They're they're very multimodal at this time, but they're
21:42
pushing for more. So possibly in the future you
21:45
can upload videos and have them have it more fit, have it do any
21:50
sort of any sort of work on it that you need done.
21:54
I'm not sure what they're going to be doing, but hopefully they
21:56
can do some video editing with the tool.
21:59
I think that would be really great, like an AI generated
22:01
video editing tool would be very interesting for open AI.
22:06
But this newest model, it's expected to be completed in the
22:09
next nine months to a year and it'll undergo rigorous safety
22:13
assessments before we get our hands on it by the committee.
22:16
And this committee will ensure that the model meets stringent
22:19
safety and security standards before it's made widely
22:22
available. Now, the leadership of John
22:25
Shulman, a Co founder and former head of the team, the created
22:28
ChatGPT, will be crucial in guiding Open A is long term
22:32
safety research. This new committee will oversee
22:36
Shulman's work and help establish robust policies to
22:39
mitigate technological risks and is Open AI continues down this
22:45
path of complex challenges. You're going to keep pushing
22:48
boundaries because they're a private company and they need to
22:51
make money. And the success of its new model
22:54
and the effectiveness of its safety measures, it's going to
22:59
be the focus over the next 6 to 9 months and.
23:02
We'll keep you updated here on the show next month.
23:06
In June, Sky watchers are eagerly awaiting a brief
23:09
planetary alignment. However, recent astronomical
23:13
analysis suggests the anticipated sky show may not
23:17
meet expectations. Now, on the morning of June 3rd,
23:20
6 planets Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Mars, Neptune, and
23:26
Saturn will all align along the elliptical path.
23:30
Now, despite this alignment, experts caution that not all of
23:34
these planets will be visible to the naked eye from Earth.
23:38
Now, people who plan to rise early and step outside on June
23:41
3rd expecting to see the bloated disk of Jupiter or the rings of
23:45
Saturn in a single glance will be at the very least, quite
23:48
disappointed. Now this.
23:50
Attention on social media about the Pareto planets surged after
23:54
the planetarium app Starwalk published an article encouraging
23:57
users to view the alignment using its Sky Tonight stargazing
24:01
tool. I use the tool, it's absolutely
24:04
wonderful. And NASA explains that the
24:06
planetary alignment, known as a conjunction, will stretch across
24:10
the vast sky of the northeast hemisphere.
24:13
However, visibility will be limited without the aid of
24:16
telescopes or high-powered binoculars.
24:19
And if you're just getting into astronomy, I would suggest
24:22
getting a pair of high-powered binoculars before investing in a
24:25
high-powered telescope now. Star Walk's April 25th article
24:30
noted that Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn might be
24:33
seen with the naked eye. However, Neptune and Uranus will
24:36
require optical aid such as a telescope or high-powered
24:39
binoculars due to their dimness and how far away they are from
24:43
the Earth. Now the visibility is scheduled
24:47
for June 3rd. Saturn's magnitude is 1.1,
24:50
Neptune is 7.9 and late at night Mars magnitude is 1.1.
24:55
Before dawn and at dawn Uranus magnitude of 5.8.
25:00
Jupiter's magnitude is -2 and Mercury's magnitude is -1.4.
25:07
They'll be very difficult to see Jupiter and Mercury now.
25:11
Various factors will obstruct clear views of this alignment,
25:14
and the proximity of Mercury and Jupiter to the Sun and their
25:16
positions near the East NE horizon will likely be massed by
25:20
the brilliant glow of morning twilight.
25:22
However, those viewing from a flat, unobstructed horizon may
25:27
spot both planets using binoculars, such as a beach or a
25:30
a flat area with no hills or mountains around you or trees.
25:34
Now for Uranus, views on June 3rd will only be possible from
25:38
very very dark, non light polluted skies according to
25:43
experts right now, and similar to Mercury and Jupiter, Uranus
25:46
is expected to rise just an hour before the sun, making it
25:50
difficult to see due to the twilight.
25:53
Now Neptune, which is the farthest planet from the sun, is
25:56
way too dim to be seen without specialized equipment.
26:00
No chance of seeing that planet either, unless you have access
26:02
to a dark sky, a star chart, and at least a very good pair of
26:08
binoculars or a decent telescope.
26:11
A Saturn will be more visible rising from the East SE horizon
26:15
around 2:00 AM. However, yellowish white tint
26:19
will be faint and its rings will be invisible without a telescope
26:24
and despite the limited views, Mars is expected around 4:00 AM.
26:29
Eastern on June 3rd and you can view that with no equipment and
26:34
Mars will shine with a relatively bright orange light.
26:38
I suggest trying to see Mars every night if you can to get
26:41
used to it before June 3rd. If you can see it in the sky, it
26:45
has a slight orange tint to it now.
26:48
Additionally, the Moon will be in its waning Crescent phase,
26:51
which is the final phase of its monthly cycle, revealing a thin
26:54
sliver which is good for viewing of the sky.
26:58
If it's a full moon, it brightens up everything.
27:01
It's more difficult to see things in the sky if the moon is
27:03
full, but if it's a tiny sliver, it'll be much easier to see this
27:08
planetary alignment, and early risers will see a lovely waning
27:11
Crescent moon hanging low in the eastern sky.
27:15
Now, planetary alignments along the elliptical path are not
27:17
rare. The northern hemisphere last
27:20
witnessed such an event on April 8th in 2023, an alignment
27:24
involving Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus, and Mars on March
27:28
28th. You're learning that planetary
27:32
alignments are rare, but honestly, we get one every few
27:35
years. Now.
27:37
The future alignments are worth noting as well, and it's
27:40
September 8th, 2040. A rare alignment of Mercury,
27:44
Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, and Mars will offer better viewing
27:47
opportunities. One of the notable planetary
27:50
alignments occurred in the late 1970s.
27:53
The four gas giants Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune all
27:56
lined up, allowing the Voyager spacecraft to conduct flybys,
28:00
returning remarkable images and discovering new moons and rings.
28:04
Now, on June 3rd, 2024, this is in a few days.
28:07
The alignment won't be as historic, but will still be
28:10
notable. The six planets will be visible
28:12
in a 73° section of the sky, although they won't truly be in
28:16
a straight line. Instead, they'll appear
28:18
scattered at different paths, depths, positions, and
28:21
distances. Jupiter and Mercury will appear
28:24
close near the horizon. Moving up to the northeast will
28:27
be Uranus, Mars, Neptune, and finally Saturn.
28:30
A Crescent moon will also be visible amidst the alignment, so
28:34
look out for the Crescent moon. It's actually beautiful.
28:36
If you have a pair of high-powered binoculars or a
28:39
decent telescope you can get some really great views.
28:42
If it's a Crescent moon, you can see the craters and you can see
28:45
if you look at the side of the moon you can see the ridges.
28:48
Absolutely spectacular. Now Mars and Saturn will be the
28:51
easiest to spot with the naked eye.
28:52
Mercury and Jupiter will be less conspicuous in Uranus and
28:57
Neptune will need high-powered binoculars or a telescope.
29:00
The best viewing is about 20 minutes before sunrise while
29:04
looking to the eastern horizon. For instance, in New York on
29:07
June 3rd that means about 5 O 6:00 AM and Cape Canaveral where
29:12
NASA is located 6 O 5:00 AM and Los Angeles at 5 O 2:00 AM.
29:19
In other parts of the world the alignment will be visible before
29:22
June 3rd in Sao Paulo, Brazil starts on May 27th, Mexico May
29:27
29th and in Athens June 2nd and each location will have a narrow
29:31
pre dawn window for viewing. Dark skies away from city lights
29:34
will offer the best views. Modern light pollution makes
29:37
truly dark skies rare but worthwhile for such celestial
29:40
events. And despite this initial hype,
29:43
the planetary alignment on June 3rd will require effort and some
29:46
equipment for optimal viewing, especially for distant planets
29:50
like Uranus and Neptune. But I will not stress it enough,
29:54
at least go check it out if you can if you're up that early
29:58
because it's a sight to be seen. Tesla has posted new job
30:03
openings for its Autopilot team following a period of extensive
30:07
layoffs. Nearly 20 positions have been
30:10
listed, indicating that the company's reduction in workforce
30:13
might be concluding. And these roles are all based in
30:16
Palo Alto, CA and predominantly focus on Full Self Driving
30:19
software or his AI software for all vehicles made by Tesla.
30:26
Now, the job title suggests a strong emphasis on software
30:28
engineering and artificial intelligence.
30:30
Positions include research engineer for foundation models
30:34
and several software engineer roles.
30:35
Specializing in areas like slam front end AI tooling, back end
30:40
AI tooling, and full stack model evaluation points to a
30:44
significant push towards enhancing Tesla's autonomous
30:47
driving capabilities. Now among the listed positions,
30:50
Tesla's seeking a Machine Learning engineer for 3D
30:54
computer vision and self driving.
30:56
The role involves developing new formulations and architectures
30:59
for computer vision tasks and large scale training of deep
31:03
neural networks. The goal is to build a unified
31:06
vector space for various autonomous driving tasks such as
31:09
occupancy and geometry detection.
31:12
Now, the machine learning engineer role also includes
31:15
designing metrics, tasks, and data sets to support perception
31:19
and autonomy and deploying models that scale to millions of
31:22
Tesla vehicles globally. This highlights Tesla's focus on
31:25
improving its FSD tech through robust software engineering
31:29
practices. Now, Tesla's recent hiring
31:32
activity follows a huge reduction in this workforce.
31:36
14,000 people. And earlier this month, the
31:39
company removed over 3000 job posting from its website.
31:43
It came shortly after Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced plans to cut
31:47
more than 10% of the company's global workforce.
31:51
The layoffs included various departments and even led to the
31:54
rehiring of some Supercharger staff after they were initially
31:57
let go. Additionally, Tesla began
31:59
rescinding offers for full time employees and interns in May,
32:04
and the company's stringent measures reduced their headcount
32:07
and costs. Now, Musk emphasize the need for
32:11
aggressive headcount and cost reduction.
32:13
During an April meeting with executives, he said it's
32:16
absolutely hardcore about headcount and cost reduction
32:19
right now, aligning with a broader strategy to navigate
32:22
through the industry wide slowdown in EV sales.
32:25
Now, despite these layoffs, Tesla's focus on Autopilot and
32:29
FSD technologies appear unwavering.
32:31
Musk has positioned these technologies as pivotal to the
32:34
company's future growth. He stated that Tesla is between
32:37
two major growth waves, with the self driving technology being a
32:41
key driver of the next phase. Now, in addition to the job
32:44
postings, Tesla is also dealing with legal challenges related to
32:47
Musk compensation package. A Delaware judge recently voided
32:51
Musk's $56 billion pay package, leading to concerns about
32:54
potential legal maneuvers by Tesla and Musk to contest the
32:58
ruling in another jurisdiction. Legal team representing
33:01
shareholders in the case requested assurances from
33:03
Chancellor Kathleen McCormick the Tesla would not attempt to
33:06
undermine her ruling through a vote or in account another court
33:11
now. McCormick expressed confidence
33:13
in Tesla's commitment to respect to ruling, noting the company
33:16
statements in court as reassuring.
33:19
Tesla's shareholders are set to vote on June 13th to decide on
33:23
the ratification of Musk's pay package and the potential
33:27
reincorporation of the company in Texas.
33:29
The outcome of this vote could have significant implications
33:33
for Tesla's corporate governance and Musk's role in the company.
33:36
Musk has actively campaigned for shareholder support ahead of the
33:39
vote, offering factory tours to those who vote on his
33:42
compensation package. So if you vote on a package, you
33:45
get a factory tour. Is that a win?
33:48
I don't know. It's importance of Musk places
33:52
that Musk places on securing approval for his pay and
33:55
maintaining his leadership position within Tesla.
33:58
Some people would love a factory tour.
34:01
Myself, I think it would be very cool.
34:03
But is that? Worth your vote if you're going
34:06
to vote against this and or do your morals get in the way and
34:09
you're just like, you know what, I just want to go for a factory
34:13
tour that might be a fun time. And then you vote for the
34:16
compensation package. What else could us offer them?
34:19
I mean, he's not going to. Offer him any of his money so
34:21
he's going to do something free basically or very low cost to
34:26
give them a factory tour. Maybe meet Elon during the
34:28
factory tour? I'm not sure if that's actually
34:31
going to happen or not. We will see in the future though
34:34
if people vote for this. The vote is seen as a reflection
34:37
on Musk's leadership though, with some investors expressing
34:40
concerns about their involvement in other ventures and the impact
34:43
of his public statements on Tesla's reputation and sales.
34:46
Musk offer a factory tours is a very unusual move.
34:49
Emmett garnering support from shareholders.
34:52
It would be pretty cool to see a Tesla factory though to be
34:55
honest with you. I've been to a few Tesla
34:57
factories. Never been inside, but been to a
34:59
few. Never been on the work floor but
35:02
have seen what goes on in there. And Tesla's shareholder base
35:06
includes a significant portion of retail investors with 44% of
35:10
its common stock held by non professional shareholders.
35:13
This is the highest among the ten largest companies in the S&P
35:16
500 by market capitalization. And this is a unique composition
35:20
of Tesla investor community right now.
35:23
Now there's a proxy advisory firm, Glass Lewis, and they've
35:27
recommended that Tesla shareholders reject Musk's pay
35:30
package, citing his numerous other commitments and the
35:33
demanding nature of his projects.
35:35
You know, projects like SpaceX or X slash Twitter or the Boring
35:41
Company or any of the other multiple things that Elon has
35:44
going on. This recommendation adds another
35:46
layer of complexity to the upcoming vote.
35:49
It's on June 13th, and these job postings and Musk's efforts to
35:54
rally shareholders, it's a challenging time for the
35:58
company. A combination of layoffs, legal
36:00
battles, and the critical shareholder vote represents a
36:03
significant moment for Tesla in its future direction.
36:06
Can't Elon pull this off? Can the board pull this off?
36:10
I think they can. They're going to get through
36:12
this fine and it's going to be all right in the end, and
36:15
Tesla's going to thrive. And as Tesla navigates these
36:18
challenges, the company's commitment to advancing its
36:20
autonomous driving technology remains evident.
36:23
Because the new hires for the Autopilot team are going to play
36:27
a critical role in pushing the boundaries of Tesla's Full Self
36:31
Driving software. And also for the robo taxi,
36:34
We're going to see how that turns out too, because that's
36:37
where Elon and company are headed.
36:39
Instead of the $25,000 car, they're betting everything on
36:45
higher end cars but allowing you to use your own vehicle as kind
36:51
of an Uber. But you don't actually have to
36:53
be in the car to be the driver. The car drives itself Pretty
36:57
amazing. It just earn money on the side
37:00
as your car is parked usually now.
37:04
Tesla's recent job postings for the Autopilot team and legal
37:07
disputes over Musk's compensation and the upcoming
37:10
shareholder vote all indicate a period of transition for Musk
37:14
and Tesla and the determination for the electric vehicle maker
37:18
as it seeks to solidify its position in the industry as
37:22
continuing to be the number one automotive.
37:26
EV. Maker in the world SpaceX is
37:29
preparing for its fourth test flight of the Starship rocket
37:32
from its Star Base facility in Texas.
37:36
It's approximately 2 months after the third flight reached
37:38
space but was lost upon re entry.
37:41
This upcoming test represents the fastest turn around for
37:44
Spacex's mega rocket and Super Heavy booster from its launch
37:47
site in Boca Chica along the Texas coast, the southernmost
37:51
tip of Texas if you will. Now, since April of 2023, SpaceX
37:55
has been attempting to achieve orbit with the Starship.
37:58
The third attempt in March saw the Starship make it to space
38:01
but failed during re entry. Now, following each test flight,
38:04
SpaceX undergoes a mishap investigation led by the Federal
38:08
Aviation Administration or the FAA, and it implements necessary
38:11
changes before the next launch. The FAA, alongside NASA in the
38:15
National Transportation Safety Board, has been conducting a
38:18
mishap investigation since the March test flight.
38:22
Now, should the FAA grant SpaceX a modified launch license, the
38:26
company aims to attempt the 4th test flight of Starship and a
38:29
Super Heavy booster as soon as June 5th.
38:32
Now, SpaceX has released its findings from the third test
38:35
flight and detailed the modifications made to the
38:38
Starship to address previous issues.
38:40
Now the third flight was the most successful yet, with
38:42
Starship reaching space and attempting a landing burn for
38:45
the first time, although both the rocket and the booster were
38:47
ultimately destroyed before achieving a controlled landing.
38:51
Now during the third flight, Super Heavy booster began its
38:54
boost back burn for landing, but encountered issues when 6 Raptor
38:58
engines shut down prematurely. The booster was lost
39:01
approximately 1500 feet above the Gulf of Mexico about 7
39:04
minutes after launch. And SpaceX identified the root
39:07
cause of the boost back burn shut down as filter blockages in
39:11
the liquid oxygen supply to the engines, which led to a loss of
39:14
inlet pressure in the oxygen turbo pumps.
39:17
And engineers have since added more hardware inside the oxygen
39:19
tanks to improve filtration and prevent blockages.
39:24
Additionally, the third flight Starship rates the coast phase
39:28
in space and successfully conducted a payload door test
39:31
demonstrating propellant transfer by moving fuel from one
39:34
thing to another. And this fuel transfer
39:36
capability is crucial for future missions, including Nasas
39:39
Artemis program for lunar missions.
39:42
However. Each.
39:43
Entering the coast phase, Starship lost its ability to
39:47
control its position, which led to a unplanned reentry.
39:51
The lack of altitude control caused more heating than
39:53
anticipated, resulting in the vehicles destruction about 40
39:57
miles above Earth nearly 50 minutes into the flight.
40:01
Now SpaceX traced the issue with Starship to clogging in the
40:04
valves responsible for vehicle roll control, and in response,
40:08
the company has added additional roll control thrusters to
40:11
provide redundancy and improve the liability during future
40:14
flights. Now the FA as review process was
40:17
expedited this time because neither the Starship nor the
40:20
Super Heavy booster were destroyed by the vehicle's
40:23
automated flight safety system. They said during Flight 3,
40:27
neither vehicles automated flight safety system was
40:29
triggered and no vehicle debris impacted outside of predefined
40:33
hazard zones. Now, pending the FA as finding
40:36
of no public safety impact, a license modification for the
40:39
next flight can be issued without formal closure of the
40:42
mishap investigation As SpaceX has conducted a launch dress
40:46
rehearsal in May and is aiming for a launch as soon as June 5th
40:49
providing regulatory approval is received and if the 4th test
40:53
flight achieves its landing goals, the Starship will launch
40:56
from Texas and splash down in the Indian Ocean.
40:58
The SpaceX has fueled its Starship mega rocket stepping up
41:01
preparations for the upcoming test flight.
41:05
Now the latest pre launch operation known as a wet dress
41:07
rehearsal or AWDR took place on May 28th at Spacex's Starbase
41:12
site in Texas and the company loaded large quantities of
41:16
liquid oxygen and liquid methane into Starships first and 2nd
41:19
stages known as Super Heavy and Starship or just chip and
41:23
Starship and super heavy loaded more than £10 million of
41:26
propellant in a rehearsal ahead of flight 4 launch is targeted
41:31
for as early as June 5th pending regulatory approval.
41:35
This is the second W jets rehearsal for the Starship
41:38
vehicle, the first occurring on May 20th.
41:41
Now these tests are part of the pre launch preparations for
41:44
Starship's fourth flight, which could launch on June 5th pending
41:48
approval, of course. Now the first three Starship
41:50
test flights took place in April of 2023, November 2023, and
41:55
March 14th of this year. Each flight was demonstrated
41:58
improved performance and this first flight saw the vehicles
42:02
two stages failed to separate, ending 4 minutes after the
42:05
flight and it was pretty spectacular.
42:07
Go back and watch it on YouTube, it's pretty amazing.
42:10
And in contrast, the third flight lasted about 50 minutes,
42:14
ending when the Starship broke apart during re entry into
42:17
Earth's atmosphere. That's a pretty big jump, but
42:20
the primary goal for the 1st 4th flight, according to SpaceX, is
42:25
to get through Max re entry heating.
42:28
When fully stacked, Starship stands nearly 400 feet tall.
42:32
It's 122 meters, making it the largest and the most powerful
42:37
rocket ever built. It's designed to be fully and
42:40
rapidly reusable, and eventually Starship will be transforming
42:44
spaceflight, potentially enabling Mars settlements and
42:47
other ambitious exploration feeds by making them
42:50
economically feasible. NASA supports this vision,
42:53
having selected Starship as the first crude lunar Lander for its
42:57
Artemis Moon program, and Starship is scheduled to land
43:01
NASA astronauts on the Moon and around 2025 as part of the
43:05
Artemis 3 mission. However, the vehicle must
43:08
successfully complete several test flights before carrying
43:11
astronauts. Tesla is preparing to register
43:15
its Full Self driving software, with Chinese authorities aiming
43:18
to launch the advanced feature this year, and it's according to
43:21
three sources familiar with this matter now.
43:23
The move is part of Tesla's broadest strategy to expand its
43:26
presence in China, its second largest market.
43:29
And additionally, the company is considering offering the FSD
43:31
software as a monthly subscription to his Chinese
43:34
customers, now securing registration with China's
43:37
Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
43:40
The MIIT will allow Tesla to conduct internal testing of the
43:44
FSD system using its employees on public roads in China.
43:48
This testing phase is a precursor to making the software
43:51
available to Chinese users as an upgrade in the coming months.
43:55
And currently, Tesla offers 2 less advanced versions of its
43:58
Autopilot driver assist system in China.
44:00
The FSD system, which Tesla currently sells for a one time
44:04
fee of ¥64,000, that's approximately $8800 US, might
44:09
also be available as a monthly subscription fee, likely around
44:13
$100 Mark about $98. Apparently now the introduction
44:17
of a subscription model could attract more customers by
44:19
lowering the upfront cost area. Now, Tesla's expansion plans
44:23
include the potential licensing of its FSD software to other
44:26
automakers in China, and the strategy could diversify Tesla's
44:30
revenue streams amiss a competitive and discount driven
44:33
market. Notably, Tesla sales in China
44:35
have declined by 7.6% in the first four months of this year
44:39
due to increased competition from local EV manufacturers.
44:45
Yel Zhang, managing director of Shanghai based consultancy
44:48
Automotive Foresight, said that Tesla's introduction of FSD in
44:53
China would compel other EV startups to expedite their
44:56
research and development efforts.
44:58
The competitive pressure shows the significance of Tesla's
45:02
technology and the competition between all these automakers.
45:07
And the rollout of FSD in China aligns with a strategic shift by
45:11
Tesla CEO Elon Musk to power the development of its self driving
45:15
system using data collected and processed within China.
45:18
Now, this approach not only leverages local data but also
45:21
adheres to regulatory requirements regarding data
45:25
localization. Now, Tesla aims to introduce
45:29
version 12 of the FSD software in China, and Musk has expressed
45:33
confidence that this version paves the way for fully
45:35
autonomous driving systems. The software's evolution
45:38
reflects Tesla's ongoing commitment to refining its self
45:42
driving tech, and Tesla will now join a competitive field in
45:46
China, where at least 10 automakers and suppliers,
45:48
including Huawei and Zbang, are developing Level 2 autonomous
45:53
driving capabilities. And unlike Tesla, some
45:55
competitors like Lee Auto and Spang offer similar systems for
46:00
free on high end models, while others, such as Neo, provide
46:04
trial periods at no cost. The Level 2 systems, including
46:08
Tesla's FSD, still require active driver supervision in
46:11
hands on control. However, Elon Musk has indicated
46:15
that more fully autonomous vehicles are on the horizon.
46:18
Tesla plans to reveal additional details about its robo taxi
46:21
program in August, which could provide insights into its future
46:24
autonomous vehicle strategy. And Tesla's autonomous driving
46:28
system is built on an end to end neural network, a distinct
46:31
departure from rule based algorithms.
46:34
The AI enables the system to learn faster and make more human
46:38
like decisions, a capability that sets Tesla apart from its
46:41
competitors. Other companies like Huawei are
46:44
following Tesla's lead by developing end to end AI models
46:47
for autonomous driving. Despite this, catching up with
46:50
Tesla in terms of data and computing power remains a
46:53
significant challenge for rivals.
46:55
Now this is going to be a competitive market in the next
47:00
year and these other companies will hop on the bandwagon and
47:03
get more processing compute. Tesla's advantage lies in a
47:08
supercomputer, Dojo, which trains the FSD system using
47:11
video data from millions of Tesla vehicles.
47:14
This connected network, the largest fleet of its kind
47:17
globally, provides Tesla with an unparalleled data advantage
47:20
essentially for advancing its self driving capabilities.
47:23
And in parallel with the FSD rollout, Tesla has partnered
47:26
with Baidu for in vehicle mapping and navigation services.
47:30
This collaboration addresses one of the critical requirements for
47:33
launching advanced self driving features in China, ensuring
47:37
accurate lane level navigation and mapping.
47:41
Now, Tesla initially engaged Baidu for mapping services way
47:44
back in 2020, but the partnership has now intensified
47:47
to support more advanced autonomous driving
47:49
functionalities. The development follows Musk's
47:52
recent visit to China, where he sought approval for the FSD
47:55
software to counter declining revenues.
47:59
The suite of FSD features, while requiring constant oversight,
48:02
aims to enhance Tesla's autonomous driving offerings.
48:05
The company's pricing strategy for FSD in China mirrors its
48:09
approach in the US, where customers can either purchase
48:11
the software outright or subscribe monthly.
48:14
Tesla also offers Enhanced Autopilot EAP in China and half
48:18
the price of FSD has introduced subscription options for EAP,
48:22
allowing customers to experience the technology for a monthly
48:25
fee. This flexibility and pricing and
48:27
access models could boost adoption rates among China
48:30
consumers, and recent developments such as Tesla
48:33
Shanghai factory passing data security requirements have
48:36
facilitated the broader acceptance of Tesla vehicles and
48:39
restricted areas within China. This compliance with national
48:42
standards enhances the credibility and marketability of
48:45
Tesla's products. Now, the FSD software rollout in
48:48
China is anticipated to generate significant interest and
48:52
discussion and revenue. Given the competitive nature of
48:55
the Chinese EVE market and the technological advancements it
48:58
represents, the company's strategic moves and partnerships
49:01
aims to solidify its. Position as a leader in
49:04
autonomous driving technology in China and worldwide.
49:10
Elon Musk started his entrepreneurial journey when he
49:14
founded Zip Two and Online mapping and Directions company
49:17
in 1995. This early venture played a
49:20
significant role in shaping the development of online services
49:24
and the Internet itself. Now Zip Two was established in
49:27
Palo Alto, CA by Elon, his brother Kimball Musk, and Greg
49:32
Corey in The company's original name was Global Link Information
49:36
Network. Most people don't know about
49:38
that, and it quickly became a pioneering force in online city
49:42
guides and business directories. Now, Zip Two was among the first
49:47
companies to provide searchable online city guides in business
49:50
directories, allowing users to find local businesses and get
49:54
directions to them. This innovative approach laid
49:57
the groundwork for modern services like Google Maps and
50:01
Apple Maps and online Yellow Pages.
50:04
At the time, and at a time when the Internet was still in its
50:08
infancy, Zip 2's ability to integrate business listings with
50:11
mapping data was a huge advancement and this showed a
50:16
lot of potential for practical everyday use of the Internet.
50:20
One of Zip 2's key contributions to the Internet's evolution was
50:24
enabling 2 way communication between users and businesses.
50:28
The software allowed users to message businesses directly and
50:32
receive fax messages from them. Now, this facilitated online
50:36
interaction between consumers and companies, and this early
50:39
adoption of online communication channels foreshadowed modern
50:43
business customer communication methods, highlighting Zip 2's
50:47
role in shipping the way businesses interact with their
50:49
customers online. Now, Elon Musk himself was
50:52
deeply involved in the technical development of Zip 2, coding the
50:56
initial system for calculating directions.
50:59
This hands on approach demonstrated Musk's technical
51:02
expertise and commitment to solving complex problems, and
51:06
Zip 2's mapping and routing services were among the first
51:09
instances of such technology, making it a trailblazer in the
51:13
online mapping industry. The company's innovative
51:16
features set it apart from other early Internet services,
51:19
contributing to its success and influence, and their strategic
51:24
partnerships with newspapers significantly transformed the
51:29
online city guide industry. And by providing the technology
51:33
and platform for newspapers to create their own comprehensive
51:36
online city guides, Zip 2 enabled these established media
51:40
companies to quickly establish a digital presence.
51:44
Newspapers like the New York Times partnered with Zip 2 to
51:47
build online city guides, leveraging their extensive local
51:51
content in advertising relationships to enhance the
51:54
value and reach of these guides. These partnerships shifted the
51:58
focus from pure listings to rich local content, integrating in
52:02
depth community news, event listings, reviews, and other
52:06
localized information into the online city guides.
52:10
This combination of technology and editorial resources expanded
52:13
the reach and capability of online City Guides, making them
52:17
valuable tools for both users and businesses.
52:20
The collaboration between Zip 2 and newspapers demonstrated the
52:24
potential of the Internet for delivering comprehensive local
52:27
information, paving the way for future online services like
52:31
Google Maps. And Zip 2's approach to
52:33
partnering with newspapers also diversified its revenue streams.
52:38
In addition to business listings and advertising, Zip Two could
52:41
offer supplementary services like e-mail, calendars, and
52:46
personalization features to the newspaper partners now.
52:50
This diversified business model not only increased Zip 2's
52:53
revenue potential but also showcase the versatility of the
52:56
platform. And by catering to the needs of
52:59
both the users and the businesses, Zip 2 positioned
53:02
itself as a comprehensive solution for anything local
53:07
online. And the success of Zip 2
53:10
culminated in the acquisition from Compaq for $307 million in
53:18
1999. This acquisition was a
53:20
significant milestone for Elon, earning him $22 million for his
53:25
7% share in the company. The financial windfall from the
53:28
sale of Zip 2 provided Musk with the capital and confidence to
53:32
pursue more ambitious projects in the tech industry, such as
53:35
SpaceX and Tesla. And the acquisition also
53:38
underscored the value of potential of Zip 2's innovative
53:42
approach to online services, validating Musk's early efforts
53:48
now. Zip 2's influence on the
53:49
Internet's evolution extended beyond its financial success,
53:52
though. The company's innovative
53:54
features and approach to city guides and business directories
53:58
help shape the development of many online services and
54:01
business models that became ubiquitous in the modern
54:05
Internet era. Like we said before, Google
54:07
Maps, Apple Maps, anything with a map.
54:11
Zip Two was one of the beginning software companies to develop
54:16
that. And by demonstrating the
54:18
potential of the Internet for businesses and driving the
54:21
adoption of online advertising and services, Zip 2 played a
54:25
pioneering role in the early development of the Internet.
54:29
Google's online services with advertising is partly due to Zip
54:35
2's innovations, and one of the last impacts of Zip Two was his
54:39
pioneering role in the Software as a service or SAS model.
54:43
Rather than selling its service directly to consumers, Zip 2
54:47
licenses software to newspapers and companies.
54:50
This early example of the SAS business model became prevalent
54:54
later in the tech industry, influencing how software
54:57
services are delivered and monetized.
54:59
Think your Netflix subscription. You don't pay a one time service
55:04
to get Netflix, you pay on a subscription basis.
55:07
And that's what these newspapers and companies were doing.
55:10
And this innovative approach was new at the time.
55:14
I set a precedent for future tech companies, and the early
55:18
success of Zip 2 provided Elon Musk with invaluable experience
55:22
and insights that carried into his subsequent ventures.
55:25
The lessons learned from building and scaling Zip 2
55:28
informed Musk's approach to his later companies such asx.com.
55:32
Not the current x.com, but the one back then which became
55:36
PayPal. Also, SpaceX and Tesla and the
55:39
technical challenges and business strategies have
55:42
navigated during this time at Zip 2 helped his entrepreneurial
55:46
mindset and prepared him for the more complex challenges he would
55:49
face in the future. Now, Zip 2's legacy is evident
55:54
in the online services and business models that followed in
55:57
its footsteps. The approach to integrating
56:00
business listings with mapping data, enabling online
56:03
communication, chat between the businesses and the people, and
56:08
partnering with established media companies set a new
56:11
standard for future online platforms.
56:14
So Zip 2's impact on the internet's development is a huge
56:18
one, and Elon's technical expertise and hands on
56:22
involvement in Zip 2's development was crucial.
56:25
If it wasn't for Elon Musk to push this forward, it would have
56:28
never been done and maybe the Internet that we have now would
56:31
be completely different. Musk's work at Zip 2
56:34
demonstrated his potential as a tech innovator and set the stage
56:37
for his future advancements in the tech industry.
56:41
Partnerships with newspapers like The New York Times showed
56:45
the potential of this sort of technology between startups and
56:48
established media companies. These partnerships allowed Zip 2
56:51
to rapidly expand its reach and lend credibility to the online
56:55
city guide concept, And the success of these collaborations
56:59
highlighted the benefits of combining technological
57:02
innovation with traditional media now.
57:06
Zip 2 facilitated the transition towards a localized online
57:10
advertising model. Think of Google Ads or even
57:14
Facebook ads. They are very localized to the
57:17
person actually, and Zip two was one of the first companies to
57:22
facilitate that transition, though it was at a broader
57:25
scale. This is one of the first places
57:28
to do that now. They combined business
57:30
directories with local rich content.
57:33
Zip 2 enabled targeted local online advertising now that the
57:38
Internet modern giants use the same technology, Zip two was
57:43
there first. The strategic approach to
57:45
monetizing online services was a key factor in Zip 2's success
57:50
and influence on the internet's development.
57:53
Zip 2's features such as the early adoption of mapping and
57:56
also routing was crucial for the Internet practical and it gave
58:03
value to the users that wasn't just reading an article at the
58:06
New York Times. You could get something out of
58:09
it other than learning something.
58:11
You could learn about a new business and also become a
58:14
patron of that business because of this.
58:16
And you could communicate with them and their their ability to
58:20
combine the technology with practical applications.
58:23
Like I was saying, set a standard for future tech
58:26
companies. And the success of Zip Two was a
58:30
pivotal moment in Elan's journey, providing him with the
58:34
financial resources and confidence to pursue more
58:37
ambitious projects. And something like SpaceX,
58:42
something like Tesla or even x.com, which we have now,
58:47
wouldn't be available if it weren't for Zip 2.
58:51
This is the beginning, sort of the the origin story of Elon
58:55
Musk's entrepreneurial journey. Now.
59:00
It played a significant role in shaping everything we have on
59:04
the Internet today. City guides, think Google Maps.
59:08
Business directories, think Google Business or on Google
59:10
Maps, you can get all the business information,
59:13
partnerships with newspapers, partnerships with online media.
59:17
The pioneering role in the SAS business model set a precedent
59:21
for future tech companies. All the tech companies that are
59:25
available now are because of Zip Two and some of the SAS models
59:29
that they've used. And it set a foundation for Elon
59:33
Musk, of course, demonstrating his potential as a tech
59:37
innovator and an entrepreneur. Tesla has settled another case
59:42
involving a fatal crash linked to alleged vehicle design
59:45
defects, marking the second such settlement this year.
59:49
The case, filed in 2019, pertains to a 2016 incident
59:53
where a Tesla vehicle reportedly accelerated uncontrollably in
59:57
Indianapolis, colliding with a tree and then caught fire.
1:00:01
This settlement follows a similar resolution in April
1:00:04
regarding a fatal crash involving Tesla's Autopilot
1:00:07
technology. Now, the lawsuit alleged that
1:00:10
the 2015 Model S involved in the Indianapolis crash had a
1:00:14
tendency to catch fire and a defective door latch system that
1:00:18
trapped the passenger inside. Now, the accident resulted in
1:00:22
the deaths of both driver Casey Speckman, who was intoxicated,
1:00:26
and the passenger Kevin McCarthy.
1:00:28
Now, McCarthy's family claimed the defects prevented him from
1:00:31
escaping from the burning vehicle.
1:00:34
Now, Tesla has consistently denied any fault, attributing
1:00:37
the crash to misuse or improper maintenance of the vehicle.
1:00:40
And in its response, Tesla maintained that its cars meet
1:00:43
all relevant safety standards. This case's settlement indicates
1:00:46
the shift from CEO Elon Musk's previous stance against settling
1:00:50
what he termed unjust cases. Now, the recent settlements
1:00:54
contrast with Musk's 2022 declaration on Twitter, where he
1:00:58
vowed never to settle an unjust case even if it might result in
1:01:02
a loss. And in April, Tesla settled
1:01:05
another high profile lawsuit involving an Apple engineer who
1:01:09
died when his Model X crashed while allegedly using Autopilot.
1:01:13
Now, these settlements suggested that Tesla may be more willing
1:01:16
to resolve such cases out of court.
1:01:18
Now, Tesla's legal battles extend beyond these two cases.
1:01:22
The company faces numerous lawsuits across the country
1:01:25
related to alleged defects causing serious or fatal
1:01:28
accidents. At least eight pending lawsuits
1:01:31
are scheduled for trial next year, many involving claims that
1:01:35
crashes occurred while the driver relied on Tesla's
1:01:38
Autopilot technology. Federal regulators are also
1:01:41
scrutinizing Tesla. The National Hwy.
1:01:43
Traffic Safety Administration, or the NHTSA, is investigating
1:01:48
whether. Tesla's Autopilot.
1:01:49
System misleads drivers into believing it has more
1:01:52
capabilities than it does. This regulatory attention adds
1:01:56
pressure to test those legal challenges right now.
1:01:58
And in the Indianapolis crash, the plaintiffs argued this
1:02:02
Speckman lost control of the Model S when it suddenly
1:02:05
accelerated while she tried to avoid an oncoming vehicle.
1:02:08
The car crashed into a tree and then a parking structure,
1:02:12
bursting into flames. The witnesses reportedly saw
1:02:15
McCarthy attempting to escape but being unable due to the
1:02:18
vehicle's design defects. Now, Tesla has faced multiple
1:02:22
complaints regarding fires allegedly linked to its
1:02:25
batteries. Experts know that electric
1:02:27
vehicle batteries can burn more intensely and for longer
1:02:30
durations than internal combustion engines.
1:02:33
This has raised concerns about the safety of Tesla's battery
1:02:36
design and in the lawsuit, McCarthy's family detailed how
1:02:39
he could not escape due to the post crash fire and the
1:02:43
defective door latch system. Tesla, however, encountered that
1:02:49
their vehicles are state-of-the-art and comply with
1:02:51
all safety regulations denying any defect in the door latch
1:02:55
system now. Separately, Speckman's family
1:02:58
filed a lawsuit against Tesla in 2019.
1:03:01
After Tesla's attempt to dismiss the case was denied in February
1:03:04
2023, a settlement was reached two months later.
1:03:08
The specifics of the settlement remain confidential now.
1:03:12
The settlement with McCarthy's family was announced just days
1:03:15
before the trial was set to begin.
1:03:17
Court records describe it as conditional, but no further
1:03:20
details have been provided. Neither Tesla nor the McCarthy
1:03:24
family's lawyers have commented on the settlement.
1:03:27
And in previous cases involving Tesla's Autopilot, the company
1:03:30
has had mixed results. In two California trials, juries
1:03:34
concluded that driver error, not the technology, was to blame for
1:03:38
the accidents. These outcome support must claim
1:03:41
the Tesla vehicles are among the safest on the road, and the case
1:03:44
involving the Apple engineer, who died in 2018 when his Model
1:03:48
X crashed into a highway barrier, was particularly
1:03:51
contentious. The engineer's family argued
1:03:54
that Tesla's Autopilot system was faulty.
1:03:57
The confidential settlement recent April avoided a
1:04:00
potentially lengthy and costly. Trial for.
1:04:03
Tesla Now Despite the legal challenges, Tesla continues to
1:04:07
defend its vehicle safety. The company points to its
1:04:11
rigorous safety standards and compliance with government
1:04:14
regulations. However, the increasing number
1:04:16
of lawsuits and settlements suggest a growing concern over
1:04:19
Tesla's vehicle design and safety features.
1:04:23
The settlements and ongoing lawsuits could have implications
1:04:25
for Tesla's public image and financial performance.
1:04:29
And investors and customers alike are watching how the
1:04:31
company navigates these legal challenges right now.
1:04:34
And Tesla's ability to maintain its reputation as a leading
1:04:37
innovator in the EV market may hinge on the outcomes of these
1:04:42
cases. Now, while Tesla faces more
1:04:46
lawsuits in the future designing and doing the Autopilot tech,
1:04:52
the company's legal strategy will be under scrutiny as well.
1:04:55
The decisions to settle recent cases indicate a possible shift
1:04:58
in approach, potentially aiming to minimize public trials and
1:05:01
adverse publicity. Regulatory scrutiny,
1:05:04
particularly the NHTSA, could lead to further changes in how
1:05:08
Tesla designs and markets its vehicles.
1:05:12
Any findings from ongoing investigations might result in
1:05:15
recalls or modifications to existing safety features
1:05:19
impacting Tesla's operations now.
1:05:21
The outcomes of these cases will likely influence future
1:05:24
litigation involving Tesla. If more plaintiffs succeed in
1:05:28
their claims, Tesla could face increased legal costs and
1:05:31
pressure to enhance its vehicle safety standards.
1:05:34
Conversely, favorable rulings for Tesla could reinforce its
1:05:38
stance on the safety and the reliability.
1:05:41
Of its vehicles.