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