Author: Kirsten Markley

On Friday, unexpected news of Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse was made public. The banks promised to raise $2 billion to cover their losses. According to Teslarati, SVB became the 16th largest bank in the country to lose most of its worth. As details of Silicon Valley Bank’s closing were coming out, Elon Musk showed interest in buying it and converting it into a digital bank after the suggestion was made by Twitter user, Min-Liang Tan. I’m open to the idea— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 11, 2023 Giving no further details on his comment, reactions were mixed. Kevin Paffrath, CEO of…

For the past week, Elon Musk has made drastic changes to Twitter’s staff by cutting down on Twitter’s 7,500 payroll to make “an effort to place Twitter on a healthy path.” According to NBC News, staff members received news via email that there will be layoffs on Friday morning and that the office will temporarily be closed: “We recognize that this will impact a number of individuals who have made valuable contributions to Twitter, but this action is unfortunately necessary to ensure the company’s success moving forward.” The email also stated that employees will be notified of their termination by…

On August 9th, a Twitter user by the name of Taylor Ogan posted a video comparing the emergency brake system of a Model 3 and a Lexus by using a child dummy. Though the Model 3 was equipped with FSD and AEB, it ended up hitting the dummy. It’s 2022, and Teslas still aren’t stopping for children. pic.twitter.com/GGBh6sAYZS — Taylor Ogan (@TaylorOgan) August 9, 2022 After over 13.5 million people viewed the video, speculation of the results and the test itself, originally taken in May, has now escalated. Now, according to The Washington Post, Tesla is calling for the video…

A group of researchers in China have published a study listing “soft and hard kill methods” of cutting off Starlink satellite connections. The South China Morning Post writes that the report was written by researchers in the Beijing Institute of Tracking and Telecommunications and other organizations that protect China. Published on China Military Online, concerns of the satellites being used to aid the U.S. military was the reason listed in the study. It claims that SpaceX wants to use Starlink “for military purposes” and that Starlink has worked with the U.S. military on satellite connection to military aircraft and data…

On April 14th, Elon Musk made an announcement via Twitter that he offered to buy Twitter. That was until two weeks later, an agreement was made for Musk to buy Twitter for $44 million dollars. This, according to The Washington Post, led to an influx of left-leaning accounts to leave the platform and right-wing accounts to gain followers. Seeing the reactions of people online and conversing with peers has made my opinion on the issue mixed. Do not get me wrong, I love watching chaos unfold. The original tweet Elon made was like adding water to a grease fire. I…

On Thursday night, Tesla celebrated its grand opening of the Austin Gigafactory during their “Cyber Rodeo” event. With 15,000 fans on-site, according to The Verge, the event was full of drone light shows, fireworks, live music, a petting zoo, and Elon Musk making a grand entrance driving an early Tesla Roadster while wearing a cowboy hat and sunglasses with Still D.R.E playing. During the event, Elon Musk gave a presentation that commemorated the hard work of Tesla workers, the company’s history, information about the factory, production announcements, and mentions of their upcoming projects. This new $1.1 billion dollar factory in…

As the war for Ukrainian freedom rages on, the fight for information and internet in areas under attack have been given a boost in hotspots. With the help of Elon Musk’s satellite-based Internet company, Starlink, Ukraine has received satellite connection and trucks full of thousands of antennas. Since receiving Starlink antennas, Ukrainians have been able to have Internet access, technology companies have been able to stay afloat, the government can communicate and receive updates, and perform drone attacks. Mykahailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s minister of digital transformation and the one who initially pleaded to Elon Musk for help, told the Washington post…

This innovative charging technology will allow EV owners to charge by just parking. The Tesla Model 3 and other EV’s in the United States will be able to use this new charging system later this year. Broader expansion of wireless charging will begin in 2023. Earlier this week, WiTricity announced that their Halo charging system allows EV batteries to charge with a power receiver attached to the battery, a charging pad, and a wall box that is connected to a power source and pad. The pad can either be installed on or below the ground. The car will need to…

Tesla’s plant in Fremont, California is being sued by California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing for continuous discrimination and harassment against Black employees. Tesla calls the lawsuit ‘unfair.’ The lawsuit that was filed this week by the state was made after a three-year-long investigation where the CDFEH got multiple complaints by former employees and obtained evidence that coincided with these claims. DFEH director, Kevin Kish, stated that: After receiving hundreds of complaints from workers, DFEH found evidence that Tesla’s Fremont factory is a racially segregated workplace where Black workers are subjected to racial slurs and discriminated against in job…

On Tuesday, SpaceX was awarded a 5-year $102 million contract by The Air Force Research Laboratory to explore possibilities of rocket transport of military supplies. As part of the Rocket Cargo Program, Space News reported that SpaceX will aid the Air Force in enhancing the speed of US Department of Defense planning while also delivering humanitarian aid and disaster relief all over the world. Greg Spanjers, the manager of the program, emphasized this stating that SpaceX will “determine exactly what a rocket can achieve when used for cargo transport, what is the true capacity, speed, and cost of the integrated…