Author: Editor-in-Chief

Rivian has given its founder and CEO RJ Scaringe a new performance-based stock award that could ultimately be worth around $5 billion if all the underlying goals are met, according to a new filing. Scaringe’s salary is also being doubled to $2 million per year, and he was given a 10% stake in Rivian’s newest spinout Mind Robotics, the filing shows. The announcement comes just one day after Tesla shareholders voted to approve a compensation package for its CEO Elon Musk that could be worth $1 trillion — the largest in corporate history. Unlike Musk’s pay package, Scaringe’s isn’t subject…

A recent letter from OpenAI reveals more details about how the company is hoping the federal government can support the company’s ambitious plans for data center construction. The letter — from OpenAI’s chief global affairs officer Chris Lehane and addressed to the White House’s director of science and technology policy Michael Kratsios — argued that the government should consider expanding the Advanced Manufacturing Investment Credit (AMIC) beyond semiconductor fabrication to cover electrical grid components, AI servers, and AI data centers. The AMIC is a 35% tax credit that was included in the Biden administration’s Chips Act. “Broadening coverage of the…

Parts of San Rafael, a city just north of San Francisco, are sinking about half an inch per year. That might not sound like much, but altogether, it has meant that some neighborhoods — like the Canal District that borders the bay — have sunk three feet, placing them at greater risk of flooding from sea-level rise. San Rafael isn’t alone. Cities around the world are threatened by rising sea levels, with 300 million people at risk of routine flooding by 2050. The cost of building seawalls to hold the waters back could top $400 billion in the U.S. alone.…

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Thursday the company will reveal the production version of its second-generation Roadster supercar on April 1, 2026 — nearly nine years after he first revealed the project. Musk, who is famous for missing deadlines, said during Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting that he chose April Fools’ Day in part because it affords “some deniability.” “Like, I could say I was just kidding” if it happens to be later, he said. Revealing the production version of the new Roadster next year is in itself a delay. Just one week ago he appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast and…

Accel has invested in Rapido, the ride-hailing platform competing with Uber in India, while Prosus has increased its stake, after Indian two-wheeler giant TVS Motor sold its entire holding. On Thursday, TVS Motor said in a stock exchange filing (PDF) that it has sold its entire stake in Rapido for ₹2.88 billion (about $32 million) to Accel and Prosus’ investment unit, MIH Investments, securing a return of more than 152% over the past three years. Founded in 2015, Rapido has grown into a major player in India’s ride-hailing market, competing with Uber, Ola, and inDrive. The company began with bike…

Tesla shareholders have overwhelmingly approved a compensation package for CEO Elon Musk that could be worth as much as $1 trillion in company shares. More than 75% of shareholders who participated voted to approve the plan, in line with the amount of support Musk has received for past pay packages. As the result was announced, shareholders in the room at Tesla’s Austin, Texas, factory began chanting: “Elon! Elon!” Flanked by dancing Optimus robots, Musk said Thursday that “what we’re about to embark upon is not merely a new chapter of the future of Tesla, but a whole new book.” Under…

On Thursday, the Laude Institute announced its first batch of Slingshots grants, aimed at “advancing the science and practice of artificial intelligence.” Designed as an accelerator for researchers, the Slingshots program is meant to provide resources that would be unavailable in most academic settings, whether it’s funding, compute power, or product and engineering support. In exchange, the recipients pledge to produce some final work product, whether it’s a startup, an open-source codebase, or another type of artifact. The initial cohort is fifteen projects, with a particular focus on the difficult problem of AI evaluation. Some of those projects will be…

Amazon announced on Thursday the launch of Kindle Translate, an AI-powered translation service designed for authors using Kindle Direct Publishing to broaden their reach. The service initially translates text between English and Spanish and from German to English, as it’s still operating in beta. More languages will be supported over time. The retail giant noted less than 5% of titles on Amazon are available in more than one language, suggesting there’s a big opportunity for AI translations. Of course, AI isn’t perfect, which means it could introduce errors into the text. To address this, Amazon allows authors to preview their…

OpenAI execs have been fielding plenty of questions about how they expect to pay for the $1.4 trillion worth of data center build-outs and usage commitments they’ve accrued this year, given that their revenue — while rising rapidly — is a $20 billion annual run rate, CEO Sam Altman said Thursday in a post on X. Altman’s comments came in response to comments made by OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar — which she quickly walked back. Speaking at a Wall Street Journal event on Wednesday, Friar said she wanted the U.S. government to “backstop” her company’s infrastructure loans. This, she explained,…

GoFundMe has introduced a new offering that allows you to purchase digital gift cards for your loved ones, enabling them to donate to their favorite nonprofit organizations during the holidays. The product has yet to launch to the public as it’s still in the pilot phase. Later, GoFundMe will formally launch the product after incorporating feedback from consumers and nonprofits alike. The gift cards will start at $5 and come in a variety of themes and causes, including Birthday, Christmas, Hanukkah, and Ramadan, as well as cards for animal lovers, cancer fighters, and nature protectors. These cards work differently from…