Hey, everybody, welcome back to the.
Elon Musk Podcast. This is a show where we discuss.
The critical crossroads? That shape?
SpaceX, Tesla X, The Boring Company, and Neuralink.
And I'm your host, Will. Walden, one more thing before we
start. Google Podcasts is.
Being discontinued by Google, so if you want to continue getting
episodes of the Elon Musk. Podcast.
Please check us out. Over at.
YouTube Music Search us out over there and that's where you'll be
able to find our our podcast through.
Google products. Thank you.
So much for understanding. I had no control over this.
Google pulled the Google. Podcast app.
Off of. Android and I want to let you
know where to continue finding the show over at YouTube Music.
Search for. Elon Musk Podcast.
The US Congress has recently passed a bill that may lead to a
nationwide ban on TikTok, posing a significant challenge to the
platform's operations in the United States.
This legislation, now awaiting President Joe Biden's signature,
mandates that Tik. Tok's parent.
Company Bytedance to divest its interest within 270 days under
threat of prohibition from US app stores and Internet hosting
services. This development is part of a.
Larger foreign aid. Package supporting Israel and
Ukraine. Which is a strategic move.
Likely to expedite the process now, the bill's journey began
earlier this year and has seen various iterations, Initially
approved by the House in March. It.
Stalled in the Senate until House Republicans attached it to
the crucial foreign aid package, the strategic bundling was
designed to ensure a Senate vote on the TikTok matter, leveraging
the urgency and importance of the foreign aid to pass through
the potentially contentious issue.
Now, President. Biden, who has previously
expressed support for measures against TikTok, is expected to
sign the bill into law promptly. The updated legislation provides
Tiktok a slightly longer period to secure a sale and grants the
White House more influence over the process.
If enacted, the 270 day countdown for Tiktok to find a
new owner would commence now. Should the deadline pass without
a sale, Tiktok will face severe restrictions in the US,
including removal from app stores and a ban on receiving
hosting services. This would effectively halt any
new downloads and significantly disrupt ongoing access to the
app services. The president does have the
authority to extend the deadline by an additional 90 days if he
deems sufficient progress has been made towards a sale.
Now the backdrop. To This legislative action
includes broader concerns about data privacy and national
security. Specifically regarding the
potential for. Foreign interference Tik Tok's
parent company, Byte Dance, is under scrutiny due to fears that
his compliance with Chinese law might obligate it to share user
data with the Chinese government.
And TikTok has publicly opposed the legislation, declaring its
intention to challenge the bill in court if it's signed into
law, and the company argues that the ban would violate free
speech rights and harm small businesses that rely on the
platform for their operations. A legal challenge could delay
any immediate effects of the law, potentially over several
years, and the bill's implications reach beyond just
corporate affairs. Though experts in constitutional
law suggested that banning TikTok might infringe on
America's First Amendment rights, these rights protect the
access to information and media from overseas, which could make
the ban vulnerable to legal challenges.
Now the bill's passage. Also illustrates the use of
legislative strategies to address issues that intertwine
technological concerns with geopolitical tensions and by
attacking the TikTok sale mandate.
To a foreign. Aid package legislators ensured
both expedited passage and alignment with broader national
priorities. Now the situation is complicated
by international regulations, particularly Chinese laws
governing algorithm export controls, which can impede the
sale of Tiktok or its operational capabilities.
China has shown reluctance to allow the sale of Tiktok's
algorithm critical to the app's success.
Potentially derailing efforts to divest is required.
This legislative effort comes amidst A broader international
reaction to concerns over privacy and data security
associated with Chinese apps. And similar actions have taken
place in other countries, notably India, which banned
TikTok and several other apps following geopolitical tensions
with China. Now the.
Discourse around Tik Tok's potential ban intersects with
larger discussions about technology's role in society and
governance. And while the app is celebrated
for fostering creativity and connectivity, it also raises
questions about the control and the flow of information,
highlighting the challenges of regulating global technology
platforms within national frameworks.
This ban has stimulated significant public and political
debate, reflecting differing perspective on the balance
between national security and free expression.
Supporters argue the necessity of the ban to protect national
interests, while opponents caution against infringing on
civil liberties and stifling technological innovation.
And the bill's political implications are also notable,
especially considering it's timing relative to upcoming
elections in the bans enactment after the 2024.
Election suggests a. Strategic consideration of its
impact on voters, particularly younger demographics or prolific
users of the platform. Now, discussions in Congress
have highlighted the tension between economic interests and
national security concerns, with some legislators emphasizing the
need to mitigate risks without stifling technological
advancement and economic opportunities associated with.
Platforms like TikTok, and political figures have used the
issue to mobilize specific, specific voter bases, and this
is technology, politics, and public opinion.
Melding together, the debate over Tik Tok's future in the US
encapsulates broader concerns about the influence of digital
platforms on public discourse and democracy.
Beyond the immediate legal and political ramifications, the
TikTok case may influence future legislation and regulatory
approaches to technology. Management raises important
questions about the ability of U.S. law to adapt to the
complexities of global digital ecosystems and the interplay
between technology and public policy.
Now, this ongoing situation with TikTok serves as a case study in
the intersection of technology, law and geopolitics, and it
provides a unique lens through which to view contemporary
challenges in global digital governance under.
NASA's Artemis campaign, the agency and its partners will
send large pieces of equipment to the lunar surface to enable
long term scientific exploration of the moon for the benefit of
all humanity. Now, NASA's human landing
systems provider, SpaceX and Blue Origin are beginning
development of lunar Landers. The SpaceX Starship and Blue
Origin ship as well for large cargo deliveries to support
these needs, Yes has contracted. SpaceX and Blue.
Origin to provide landing systems to take astronauts to
the moon surface from lunar orbit, beginning with Artemis 3.
And that's going to be someplace between 2028 and 2030 right now,
but probably going to slip a little bit later than that.
Now the agency has asked the two companies to.
Develop cargo. Versions of their human landing
Landers as an option. Under their existing contracts,
the cargo variants are expected to land approximately 26,000 to
33,000 lbs, or 12 to 15 metric tons of payload on the lunar
surface and be in service no earlier than the Artemis 7
mission now, NASA spokesperson the Human Landing Systems
Program Manager at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in
Huntsville, AL Lisa Watson Morgan, said it's essential that
NASA. Has the capability.
To land not just astronauts, but large pieces of equipment.
Such as pressurized. Rovers on the moon for maximum
return on science and exploration activities, and she
said beginning this work now allows SpaceX and Blue Origin
to. Leverage their respective.
Human landing designs. To provide cargo.
Variants that NASA will need in the future.
Not only will they be landing Rovers on the moon, but they'll
also be landing habitats. Possibly in the future too, and
these Rovers could transport habitats around the moon
surface. Now Nest expects the cargo
versions of the company's Landers to be modified versions
of their HLS human landing systems that are currently being
developed for Artemis 3-4 and five and modifications will
include adjustments for payload interfaces and deployment
mechanisms. And the cargo variants will not
have human life support systems. They're going to be autonomous,
flying to the moon with just cargo on them, and this initial
work allows the companies to proceed with development for the
cargo Landers through a preliminary design review.
The. Step that establishes the.
Basis for proceeding with detailed design now SpaceX is
conducting its work under the next step Appendix H contract,
and Blue Origin is conducting its work under the next step,
Appendix P and NASA officially exercised the options under
those contracts in November of 2023 to begin work on the large
cocar Landers. Now, with Artemis, NASA will
explore more of the moon than ever before, learn how to live
and work away from home, and prepare for human missions to
the Red Planet of Mars. And Artemis requires the best of
International Space agencies, private industries like SpaceX
and Blue Origin, and academia to establish the infrastructure for
a long term scientific research and exploration.
And as of now. SpaceX is currently.
Building their massive Starship program in South Texas and
they're doing the 4th launch. Of the Starship.
Program in the coming weeks, possibly a month from now, so
stay on the lookout for that. Blue Origin is developing their
gigantic rocket as well, the New Glen and also their Lander at
the same time. And we're expecting a launch of
New Glen sometime in the next fiscal year.
It's going to be a wild time for rocket and spaceflight, so stay
tuned for all of that. Stay tuned to this channel as
well, because we're going to bring you all.
The coverage of that. Also, check out our YouTube
channel at Space News Pod for any Space Flight coverage that
you'll ever need now. Let's get.
Back to the Starship program it. Seems as if the Starship Flight
4 will. Be a massive improvement over
Flight 3. Now with Flight 3, they launched
the ship, they did the return maneuver for the booster, but
they had to detonate the booster over the Gulf of Mexico because
something wasn't going right. We're not exactly.
Sure. SpaceX didn't tell anybody what
happened, but we know that the booster did blow up under its
own accord, and then after the booster.
Met its own fate over the. Gulf of Mexico The ship
continued on near the Indian Ocean and continued.
Its mission, and they did. A a test of the Bay doors for
Starlink satellite deployment and they also did a fuel.
Test. At that point too, so.
It looks like. Flight 4 of Starship, which is
coming up, like I said, in a few weeks, hopefully in a few weeks,
probably a month. That'll do a similar flight path
towards the Indian Ocean. They may stray off that a little
bit because the FAA and SpaceX are working closely together to
finalize the plans for the next mission, and the new Glen rocket
system is still under development right now.
They haven't launched 1 yet, but they're hoping to possibly do
one by the end. Of this year.
So we're looking forward to that because when they can launch the
rocket, then they can launch their lunar Rover, their lunar
Lander, and they can also have variants of the rocket that can
go into the outer solar system, which will be absolutely
amazing. So these cargo missions for NASA
are important for Blue Origin and also.
Important for SpaceX. But most.
Importantly, they are important for AUS.
Presence. On the lunar.
Surface. A recent federal investigation
revealed that Tesla's Autopilot and full self driving features
have been linked to numerous crashes, including hundreds of
injuries and dozens of fatalities.
This investigation, which was spurred by a tragic incident
involving a North Carolina student and a Tesla Model Y,
shows that there are. Serious concerns.
About the safety and effectiveness of these
technologies, in March of 2023, a high speed collision occurred
when a Tesla Model 3 operating on autopilot struck a 17 year
old student as he exited a school bus.
This incident prompted the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, or the NHTSA, to scrutinize similar accidents
involving Tesla's automated driving services.
Now the NHTS, as extensive review, covered 956 incidents
dating from January 2018 through August of 2023.
They discovered a troubling pattern where Tesla's technology
failed to ensure drivers remained engaged, resulting in
29 deaths and numerous injuries across various scenarios.
The findings indicate the drivers often disengaged from
the driving process while using Autopilot or full self driving.
Despite Tesla's guidance on maintaining hands on the wheel
and eyes on the road, many drivers became complacent
leading to catastrophic outcomes.
Now, particularly concerning where the crashes involving
stationary emergency vehicles. These incidents typically
occurred at night and involved Autopilot ignoring critical
scene control measures like warning lights and cones,
highlighting a grave oversight in Tesla system design.
Now the NHTSA criticized Tesla for not designing a system to
keep drivers adequately engaged. This flaw appears to have
allowed drivers to over rely on Autopilot, thus not reacting
quickly enough to avoid collisions, as evidenced in 59
detailed crash investigations. Now, analysis of these incidents
show that often drivers had significant warning times up to
10 seconds before impact, that were not utilized effectively to
prevent crashes, revealing a critical safety gap in Tesla's
automation technology. And the agency also noted that
Tesla's approach to automation differs significantly from other
manufacturers. While others promote driver
assistance as an aid, Tesla's branding suggest.
Higher level of. Autonomy, which may mislead
users about the capabilities and safe use of Autopilot and full
self driving now. Furthermore, the NHTSA has
raised concerns about Tesla's failure to collect comprehensive
telemetry data, suggesting that the true scale of issues related
to Autopilot and full self driving could also be under
reported. And in response to these
findings, Tesla implemented A voluntary recall.
Issuing a software. Update intended to enhance
driver monitoring and engagement alerts.
However, ongoing reports of crashes have led to skepticism
about the effectiveness of these updates and HTS as ongoing
investigations and the recent findings under score the
agency's concerns about the safety of Tesla's automated
driving. Features this.
Scrutiny comes amidst Tesla's ambitious plans to advance
towards full autonomous vehicles, which has been
something that they've been promising for a very long time
and haven't delivered on. And despite the controversies,
Tesla's CEO Elon Musk continues to assert the safety and
superiority of Tesla's technology over traditional
driving, claiming that autonomy could significantly reduce
traffic accidents. Musk's confidence in Tesla's
autonomous future was reiterated during a recent earnings call.
Ray stated that achieving full autonomy would be.
Pivotal for the. Company's success He encouraged
investors to trust in Tesla's capability to solve autonomy,
emphasizing the potential to transform all transportation.
However, critics and safety experts argue that Tesla's
promotional strategies and public statements often
overstate the capabilities of the driving systems.
This practice, known as Auto No Washing, has been highlighted as
potentially misleading consumers about the true functionality and
safety of Autopilot and Full Self driving.
Recent legislative attention from Senator Edward J Markey and
Richard Blumenthal has further pressured regulatory bodies to
enforce stricter controls on where and how Tesla's Autopilot
feature should be used. They need to mitigate further
risks to public safety, and the ongoing debate about Tesla's
technology and its regulatory scrutiny show that there's.
More. Challenges in the automotive
industry's. Shift towards.
Autonomous driving, it's kind of a long way away if you think
about it. It has been a development for
around 10 plus years. Autonomy in vehicles at scale is
a thing that hasn't happened yet, and Tesla's at the
forefront of it, but they're still pretty far away and as
companies like Tesla push the boundaries of this tech, the
safety during these innovations remains critical.
The NHTSA is comprehensive review and its actions indicate
A cautious approach towards autonomous driving technology.
Now, ensuring that these systems do not compromise safety while
advancing innovation is essential for their acceptance
and success in the United States and all over the world.
Now, while Tesla's Autopilot and full self driving technologies
represent significant advancements in auto tech, the
current implementation and oversight raise important safety
concerns. It's crucial for Tesla to
address these issues as they continue.
To develop. And promote autonomy in all of
their vehicles. There's a new company called
Exawatt. They're a forward.
Thinking Renewable energy company?
And their recently. Launched an energy system.
Tailored for powering large scale data centers accompanied.
By a substantial. 20. $1,000,000 seed investment.
The. Financial backing includes.
Contributions from Sam Altman of Open AI The.
CEO and the. Company's flagship product, the
Exawatt P3. Introduces a novel.
Energy solution by combining a heat.
Collector A heat. Battery and a heat engine, The
Tri. Component system facilitates.
The consistent supply of power and heat.
By storing solar energy in a thermal battery, a method.
That allows energy. Retention for up to 24 hours
now, these data centers. Which are powering.
Things like open AI need a. Ton of power.
And that is why Sam Altman is one of the financial.
Backers because they. Also need.
A lot of money to get this startup off the ground, and Sam
is trying to tap into that. Power for the.
Power structure of Open AI Exawatt scales and technology
Over time, the company projects that it could provide
electricity at cost potential. As low as. .01 cents.
Per kWh. Such pricing would position
Exawatt is a more affordable position option than both fossil
fuels and other renewable resources.
Potentially altering. The competitive landscape of
energy sources. Altogether, now the shift to
storing. Heat, rather than electricity,
sets Exawatt apart in the renewable energy sector.
It offers an economical alternative to traditional
electrochemical batteries, sidestepping the reliance on
rare earth minerals as well. And enabling around the clock
energy. Dispatch regardless of.
External conditions. Now, the CEO and Co founder of
Exawatt showed that there's a shift and cost effective
deployment capability of the system.
He said Exawatt's modular system can be deployed.
Rapidly and cost. Effectively and it's available
right now, this year. They are ready.
To tackle immediate and escalating energy demands from
open AI and other data centers around the country, especially
those driven by the tech center, Now the need.
For such. Innovative energy solution is
showing that there's a rapid expansion of AI.
Tech with. Demand increasingly significant
amounts of power. Jack Abraham, Atomic CEO and Co
founder of Exawatt, stressed this point, stating that
exponential growth rate of AI models.
Which double? S every three months.
Significantly. Boosts the power requirements.
Of these data. Centers and the participation of
Sam Altman's in this funding round is.
Particularly. Significant, given his.
Leadership role in. Open AI.
One of the. Lead entities in the AI field
and Altman's investment is seen not just as financial backing,
but as a strategic alignment with Exawatt's mission to power
the next generation of AI infrastructure substantially.
Now Exawatt is the new leader in this type of technology,
Catherine Boyle general partner Ed Anderson Horowitz said.
By committing to full. US manufacturing with
domestically sourced components, This is important.
Domestically sourced components, they want everything to be made
in the United States. Exawatt will significantly
strengthen our national infrastructure and resilience.
As we. All saw during the pandemic it
was a difficult time to get parts.
It was a difficult time to get basically anything that was
imported from another country. So the resilience on
domestically sourced components is fundamental in keeping the
lights on for this power company.
Now when A. Reported.
Demand. Backlog exceeded 5. 100
megawatts for U.S. data centers. Exawatt is positioned to start
rolling out its systems later this year, aiming to capture a
substantial portion of the market very swiftly.
And the founders of Exawatt and on Provision and Jack Abraham
bring a mix of expertise and entrepreneurial experience from
the energy and technology sectors.
The backgrounds are instrumental in shaping the company's.
Strategic. Direction going forward and
operational capabilities. Abraham's role in founding and
developing Atomic into a prominent venture studio
underlines the innovative nature of Exawatt, his history of
identifying and nurturing companies that address Major.
Global issues. Aligns with the foundational
goals of Exawatt. Now, the launch strategy focuses
on integrating advanced solar tech with cost effective thermal
storage to offer a reliable energy source for data centers.
It not only promotes sustainability, but it also
aligns with global energy conservation goals.
And to align with federal. Initiatives.
And reduce dependency. On international supply chains,
particularly those from China Exawatt.
Of course. Prioritizes the use of US
manufacturing components. This strategy enhances the
company's ability to subsidize under recent climate
legislation, while also bolstering national energy
independence. The growing consumption of
energy by the AI sector has a critical challenge right now
that Exawatt is addressing and the company's technology and
strategic investor support, including Sam Altman, signify A
proactive approach to substantial and economically
viable energy solutions. Altman's involvement brings
additional credibility and visibility Exawatt maybe they
can get some big name investors there, linking its technological
innovations directly with the needs of the AI industry, which
is under increasing pressure to mitigate its environmental
impact. Now, Exawatt's modular and
scalable technology is designed to adapt seamlessly to both.
Small and also. Large scale energy needs
providing A versatile solution for the diverse requirements of
modern data centers and industrial facilities.
Hey, thank you so much for listening today.
I really do appreciate your support.
If you could take a second and hit the subscribe or the follow
button on whatever podcast platform that you're listening
on right now, I greatly appreciate it.
It helps out the show tremendously and you'll never
miss an episode and each. Episode is about. 10 minutes or
less to get you caught up quickly.
And please, if you want to support the show even more, go
to. Patreon.com.
Slash stage zero and please take care of yourselves and each
other and I'll see you tomorrow.