
Tesla gets multiple shareholder proposals related to investment in xAI
Musk ruled out a merger between Tesla and xAI earlier in July, but said he planned to hold a shareholder vote on investment in the startup by the automaker.
The proposals come amid significant funding activity for xAI this year. The startup completed a $5 billion debt raise alongside a separate $5 billion strategic equity investment, Morgan Stanley said last month.
Musk has pursued an integration strategy across his business empire, with xAI acquiring social media platform X in March for $33 billion to enhance its chatbot training capabilities, while also integrating the Grok chatbot into Tesla vehicles.
The potential investment discussion comes as Tesla faces various challenges, including Musk's political activities, which have impacted demand for its electric vehicles and triggered a 22 per cent drop in its shares this year.
"Shareholders are welcome to put forward any shareholder proposals they'd like," Musk said on Tesla's quarterly earnings call on Wednesday.
Tesla, which will hold its annual shareholder meeting on November 6, said it would only include one proposal on each topic in its proxy statement, in accordance with the SEC rules.
Earlier this month, the board set July 31 as the deadline for the submission of shareholder proposals to be included in the proxy statement.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
Trump's Truth Social Unveils Perplexity-Powered AI Search Tool to Rival Google
In a significant tech push, Donald Trump's Truth Social has launched Truth Search AI, a new artificial intelligence-powered search engine built in partnership with the rising AI company Perplexity. The tool is designed as a direct challenge to Big Tech giants like Google and is currently available in beta on the web version of Truth Social, with mobile app integration expected soon. Truth Media & Technology Group (TMTG), the company behind Truth Social, confirmed the launch on Wednesday, describing the tool as a move to "exponentially increase the amount of information available" on the platform. According to the official statement, 'Powered by Perplexity, a software and AI company dedicated to providing direct, contextually accurate answers with transparent citations, Truth Search AI is intended to enhance the Truth Social platform.' Unlike traditional search engines, Perplexity positions itself as an "answer engine," designed to provide concise, context-aware responses with source citations. This aligns with the broader trend among social platforms to integrate generative AI, echoing developments such as Elon Musk's Grok chatbot on X and Meta's AI tools now present across Instagram and WhatsApp. One of the key distinguishing features of Truth Search AI is its customised sourcing. While the public-facing version of Perplexity pulls from a wide range of outlets, the version deployed on Truth Social taps into a more narrowly defined set of sources. Reports from Axios and 404Media note that the tool tends to draw from conservative-leaning publishers like Fox News and Epoch Times. However, test results have shown that the tool can deliver nuanced answers, including critical insights on topics such as U.S. economic policy and Trump-era tariffs. For instance, despite the expectation of ideological bias, some responses reportedly referenced economic slowdowns and negative effects of tariffs—indicating that the search engine isn't entirely one-sided. Perplexity confirmed that the integration uses its Sonar API, a developer tool launched earlier this year that allows clients to tailor the AI engine according to their own preferences—including the ability to prioritise or restrict sources. While the financial terms of the agreement between Perplexity and TMTG remain undisclosed, a spokesperson from Perplexity emphasized that all clients using Sonar have full control over how the AI is configured. This latest initiative comes as AI continues to play a larger role in both U.S. tech innovation and policy. President Trump has made AI a focal point of his administration, including the signing of an executive order aimed at removing obstacles to American AI leadership. Still, the rollout isn't without controversy. Perplexity has come under fire from major publishers like the BBC, Dow Jones, and Forbes, who allege the company has reproduced content without proper permissions. The company has pushed back strongly, asserting that such criticisms reflect a misunderstanding of how AI tools interact with public web content. As Truth Social expands its feature set, the launch of Truth Search AI signals yet another attempt to position the platform as a conservative-friendly alternative in the evolving digital information landscape.


India Today
2 hours ago
- India Today
Donald Trump's Truth Social launches Perplexity-powered AI search to take on Google
Truth Social, the social media platform backed by US President Donald Trump, has launched a new artificial intelligence-powered search engine named Truth Search AI, as part of its latest effort to challenge the dominance of Big Tech, especially Google. The beta version of the tool went live on Wednesday, with Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) announcing that it has partnered with San Francisco-based Perplexity, a rising AI startup that offers an 'answer engine' rather than a traditional search platform. 'Powered by Perplexity, a software and AI company dedicated to providing direct, contextually accurate answers with transparent citations, Truth Search AI is intended to enhance the Truth Social platform and exponentially increase the amount of information available to its users,' Trump Media said in a press feature is currently available on the web version of Truth Social, with plans to expand to iOS and Android apps the launch mirrors a broader trend of social media platforms embracing AI, including Elon Musk's Grok chatbot on X and Meta's AI assistant on Instagram and WhatsApp, Truth Search AI has drawn attention for the political context surrounding its rollout. Meanwhile, The National, a UAE state-owned outlet, noted that answers generated by the tool frequently rely on conservative-leaning media such as Fox News and Epoch Times. However, tests by 404Media suggested the tool is not entirely one-sided. In response to questions about the US economy and Trump-era tariffs, the AI reportedly offered surprisingly critical responses, citing economic slowdowns and negative impacts of tariffs. Axios reported that the version of Perplexity used by Truth Social pulls from a narrower set of sources compared to Perplexity's public-facing version. A Perplexity spokesperson confirmed that Truth Social is using its Sonar API, a developer tool that allows customisation — including source Perplexity declined to disclose financial terms of the deal, the company clarified that Truth Social, like other clients, has full control over how the tool is set up. The Sonar API, launched earlier this year, includes features specifically designed to let clients filter or prioritise sources, a top user request, according to the partnership comes at a time when AI is playing a growing role in US policy and tech development. President Trump has made AI a priority in his administration, issuing an executive order earlier this year to remove barriers to American AI leadership. Meanwhile, Perplexity has also attracted criticism over its data practices. The BBC, Forbes, and Dow Jones have all accused the company of copying or republishing material without permission. Perplexity has denied the allegations, claiming they stem from a fundamental misunderstanding of how AI and the internet work.- EndsTune InMust Watch


Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Trump will slow, but may not stop the rise of electric vehicles
Sales of Teslas are plunging. General Motors and other automakers are increasing production of big pickups and SUVs. Republicans have killed incentives for electric vehicle purchases. Electric vehicles have clearly lost momentum in the United States. And combustion engine cars and trucks are enjoying a renaissance to the dismay of environmentalists who worry about air pollution and greenhouse gases. Productivity Tool Zero to Hero in Microsoft Excel: Complete Excel guide By Metla Sudha Sekhar View Program Finance Introduction to Technical Analysis & Candlestick Theory By Dinesh Nagpal View Program Finance Financial Literacy i e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By CA Rahul Gupta View Program Digital Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Neil Patel By Neil Patel View Program Finance Technical Analysis Demystified- A Complete Guide to Trading By Kunal Patel View Program Productivity Tool Excel Essentials to Expert: Your Complete Guide By Study at home View Program Artificial Intelligence AI For Business Professionals Batch 2 By Ansh Mehra View Program But there's reason to believe that electric vehicles will remain a significant part of the U.S. car market and that sales of these models will eventually grow again in the coming months. Electric vehicles from Tesla and some other automakers are less vulnerable to President Donald Trump 's tariffs than many conventional cars because more of their parts are made in the United States. Advocacy groups are conducting marketing campaigns to emphasize the lower fuel costs and other advantages of electric vehicles. And automakers appear to realize that they cannot give up on electric cars if they hope to remain competitive globally. Washington has become hostile to electric cars. Live Events Government policy on electric vehicles has reversed since Trump was elected. For consumers, the most visible change is the elimination of tax credits of up to $7,500 for electric vehicle purchases and leases. The credits, which have existed in various forms since the early 2000s and were revived by Democrats when Joe Biden was president, will now expire at the end of September under the big policy and tax law that Trump signed in July. The president in June described the federal incentives for electric vehicles as a "mandate that forced everyone to buy electric cars that nobody wanted." The Biden administration's goal was for half of new car sales to be electric by the beginning of the next decade, meaning it would still have been easy to buy a gasoline car. Analysts expect a spike in electric vehicle sales as people rush to take advantage of the credit, but a sharp decline afterward. By 2030, there will be 8.3 million fewer electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids on U.S. roads than there would have been if incentives had remained in place, according to a study led by Jesse Jenkins, an assistant professor at Princeton University . Republicans have also abolished penalties for violations of clean air standards, which had pushed carmakers to produce electric vehicles. That has given carmakers a green light to produce more big pickups and SUVs that tend to be very profitable. GM is among companies exploiting such policy changes. The carmaker, American's largest, is investing $900 million to manufacture V-8 engines near Buffalo, New York. Vehicles that run on gasoline or diesel now have "a longer runway," Mary T. Barra, GM's CEO, said last month. But carmakers cannot give up on electric models. U.S. electric vehicle sales rose just 1.5% in the first six months, according to Cox Automotive. But globally sales rose 28% to 9.1 million vehicles, according to Rho Motion , another research firm. That figure includes the United States and Canada as well as China and the European Union . Carmakers that ignore this fast-growing market may not be in business 10 years from now. Barra acknowledged as much. "Despite slower EV industry growth, we believe the long-term future is profitable electric vehicle production," she said. The growth of autonomous driving technology favors electric vehicles because it is much easier to integrate self-driving software into a car where all the systems are electronic. "If you don't electrify fast enough you're also losing out on the autonomous transition, whenever that happens," said Anil Khurana, a professor at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business. The quandary for GM and other automakers is that they do not yet make money from electric vehicles. Development costs are high, and sales volumes are too low to achieve the cost savings that come from mass production. Ford said this week that it lost $1.3 billion on sales of electric cars during the second quarter, although it edged closer to profitability. Now that U.S. government policy has shifted in favor of fossil fuels, it will take longer for carmakers to turn a profit on electric vehicles. Many groups remain committed to electric vehicles. The tide has turned against electric vehicles in the halls of power, but there is still a political movement behind them. Veloz, an organization whose members include automakers, utilities and charging companies, unveiled a video advertisement last month narrated by Nick Offerman, the actor best known for playing Ron Swanson on the sitcom "Parks and Recreation." The ad highlights the easy maintenance of electric vehicles, which don't require oil changes. "EVs have fewer parts, fewer repairs and are less expensive to drive," Offerman says. The ad is part of a $43.5 million marketing campaign funded by Electrify America, a subsidiary of Volkswagen that operates fast chargers in the United States and Canada. Many states still offer rebates of several thousand dollars on electric vehicle purchases, as do some utilities. Residents of California, one of the most generous states, can receive up to $12,000 toward the purchase of an electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid if they scrap an older vehicle with a combustion engine and meet certain income limits. But electric vehicle bashing by Trump, who has called them "lunacy" and a "hoax," could be pushing some Republicans away from the technology, said Mike Murphy, the CEO of the EV Politics Project , a group that seeks to end what it calls "the needless partisan divide over EVs." Republicans have long been skeptical of electric vehicles, but some showed more openness to the technology after Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, spent hundreds of millions of dollars to help elect Trump, Murphy said, citing survey data. Republican aversion to electric vehicles rose again after Musk and Trump fell out. "The bashing does have an effect on Republican consumers," said Murphy, who previously worked as a Republican consultant. EVs are getting better and cheaper. Tesla's sales have been declining since last year, falling 14% in the April to June quarter. But the decline stems, in part, from the company's reliance on two older designs, the Model 3 and Model Y. It is pretty clear that there is strong demand for electric vehicles if they are affordable, stylish and able to travel 300 miles or more between charges. GM more than doubled its sales of electric vehicles in the second quarter, helped by the Chevrolet Equinox, which has a starting price of around $35,000. Tesla's decline creates an opening for other carmakers to convince buyers to try electric models. Erin Keating, an executive analyst at Cox Automotive, describes herself as an "EV skeptic," but was impressed by a Hyundai Ioniq 9, a large electric SUV, that she drove recently. "It looks familiar to me," she said. "I'm not looking at it like it's a spaceship." Keating said she expected sales of electric vehicles to grow gradually as more people like her become comfortable with the technology. Electric vehicles typically cost thousands of dollars more than cars fueled by gasoline, but the tariffs that Trump has imposed on imported vehicles and parts could narrow the gap. Six of the 10 most American-made cars are electric, according to an online car buying site. The top four are Teslas. Volkswagen's ID.4 and Kia 's EV6, which roll out of U.S. factories, also made the list. "Certainly the more that a vehicle uses U.S. parts, the less impacted they are by tariffs," said David Greene, an industry analyst at But he added that retail prices would depend on how carmakers spread the cost of tariffs among different models. The number of public chargers is growing even though the Trump administration has blocked federal funds that cover some of the cost. Nearly 17,000 new fast charging ports, which can recharge an electric vehicle in half an hour or less, will go into operation this year, the most in a single year, according to Paren, a research firm. Fear of not being able to charge is a big reason many people hesitate to buy electric vehicles. Robert Barrosa, the CEO of Electrify America, said that some of its stations were in almost constant use, and there are still not enough chargers. That provides a strong incentive to keep building more. "When you look at this more from a global perspective, the EV space is taking off," he said. "As much as people may try to push back against it, it's coming." This article originally appeared in The New York Times.