
The Dangers of Musk's Flirty, New Chatbot
Grok's latest character, Ani, will likely bring in some much-needed cash for Musk. But at whose expense? Bloomberg Opinion columnist Parmy Olson explains the dangers. (Source: Bloomberg)

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Bloomberg
24 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Marriott Trims Its Full Year Outlook
Kevin Kopelman, TD Cowen Research Analyst, told Open Interest that appetite for outbound travel is increasing whereas demand for travel into the US is weak. For Marriott, demand for its global portfolio is fueling earnings. (Source: Bloomberg)


New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Tesla sales sink in UK, Germany as Europeans warm to Chinese rival BYD
Tesla sales plunged in Europe's two biggest car markets over the past year, while low-cost Chinese rival BYD continued to race ahead — marking what industry watchers are calling a fundamental shift in the electric vehicle landscape. Elon Musk's pioneering EV company registered just 1,110 new vehicles in Germany last month, a 55% year-over-year drop in its largest European market, according to data released Tuesday. In Britain, Tesla's No. 2 market in Europe, Tesla sales cratered by nearly 60% year over year, with only 987 new registrations in July, according to the UK Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Advertisement 4 A Tesla dealership in Germany, once a symbol of dominance, now reflects the company's steep sales decline. The troubling sales figures come a day after Tesla shareholders granted Musk a new pay package worth nearly $30 billion. The eye-popping compensation is intended to keep Musk focused on the company amid sluggish sales on both sides of the Atlantic in the past 12 months after the mogul increased his political activities. In Europe, he's publicly backed far-right figures and parties — supporting Reform UK and Tommy Robinson in Britain, endorsing Germany's AfD, and expressing sympathy for Marine Le Pen in France. Advertisement In the US, the world's richest person was Donald Trump's largest donor during his presidential run and had a controversial stint in the White House as the de facto head of the Department of Government Efficiency — before their very public falling out in May. In Germany, Tesla has tumbled from third place to eighth in electric vehicle rankings for the first half of 2025, watching its market share shrink from 8.3% to 3.6%. While Tesla has floundered, Germany's EV sales jumped 58% overall and Britain saw growth of nearly 40% over the past seven months. Advertisement 4 Elon Musk addresses the press as Tesla grapples with collapsing sales across key European markets. REUTERS BYD, which counts Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway as an investor, has raced up the charts with vehicles that cost about one-third less than Tesla's cheapest model. In Britain, the company more than quadrupled its registrations in July, building on momentum that saw it register 2,498 vehicles in June alone — a fourfold increase over the previous year. Germany tells a similar tale. BYD's first-half registrations shot up to 4,544 units, compared to around 900 during the same period last year. Advertisement 4 The BYD logo outside a dealership signals the brand's rapid rise in Western Europe, challenging Tesla's lead. Getty Images The global picture reveals just how dramatically things have shifted. BYD sold over 1.1 million plug-in vehicles during the second quarter of 2025, including both battery-only cars and plug-in hybrids, while Tesla managed about 384,000 battery-only electric vehicles. For the first time ever, BYD's battery-only EV sales actually surpassed Tesla's, with the company moving more than 2.1 million total vehicles globally in the first half of the year. Despite Tesla's woes across the pond, it has maintained its position as the most popular EV makers in the United States. 4 A protestor holds up a sign in Berlin earlier this year — one of several public actions pushing back against Tesla's image in Europe. REUTERS The company held a dominant 46% share of the EV market in the second quarter — even after sales dropped an estimated 15% in the first quarter of 2025. But competition stateside is heating up. Advertisement Legacy automakers like General Motors, Honda, Nissan and Porsche posted major year-over-year gains in EV volume, signaling a shift in the competitive landscape. Overall, EVs accounted for 7.4% of all new light-duty vehicles sold in the US during Q2 2025.


New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Former X CEO Linda Yaccarino lands new gig at digital health firm focused on weight loss drugs
Former X CEO Linda Yaccarino landed a new gig to head a digital health startup on Tuesday – just weeks after she abruptly stepped down from the helm of Elon Musk's social media site. Yaccarino, 61, will take over as CEO of Miami-based eMed Population Health, which provides support and resources for patients on Ozempic and other popular GLP-1 drugs used to treat obesity and diabetes, the company announced. EMed cited the advertising veteran's 'undeniable ability to negotiate new partnerships' as a key factor as it looks to secure more deals with employers and government agencies. Advertisement 3 Linda Yaccarino is the new CEO of eMed. AFP via Getty Images 'The healthcare industry has been disrupted by technology, but not yet completely transformed by it,' Yaccarino said in a statement. 'There is an opportunity to combine technology, lifestyle, and data in a new powerful way through the digital channels that impact consumers directly in ways that have never been done before,' she added. Yaccarino resigned from X last month after two chaotic years working alongside Musk, who faced intense scrutiny over his work with President Trump's Department of Government Efficiency. Advertisement Her exit was announced just one day after a glitch caused X's Grok chatbot to spew antisemitic views, including referred to itself as 'MechaHitler.' 3 Linda Yaccarino stepped down as CEO of X last month. AP However, a source close to the situation told The Post at the time that Yaccarino's departure was already in the works and was unrelated to that incident. Advertisement 'She got advertisers back and made it profitable again,' the source said. '(She) felt it was time to move on.' 3 Linda Yaccarino was a former ad executive at NBCUniversal. REUTERS The former NBCUniversial advertising executive joined X in 2023, shortly after Musk bought the site formerly known as Twitter, and was tasked with mending fences with major corporate advertisers stemming from the mogul's overhaul of the platform. Under Yaccarino's leadership, X filed a federal antitrust lawsuit targeting the World Federation of Advertisers and a shadowy ad cabal known as the 'Global Alliance for Responsible Media initiative,' or GARM, as part of a broader push for holding 'brand safety' firms accountable for alleged censorship. Advertisement She will now take her talents to eMed, which was founded in 2020. The Miami-based company touts a range of services on its website, including 'at-home diagnostics, proctor-led screenings, physician-guided prescribing,' according to a press release. It also claims it can help reduce the cost of a weight-loss program by up to 50% for patients.