
Eutelsat Replaces CEO as Europe Pushes to Create Starlink Rival
Satellite operator Eutelsat Communications SA replaced Chief Executive Officer Eva Berneke with a telecommunications executive as Europe seeks to develop a homegrown alternative to Elon Musk's Starlink.
Jean-François Fallacher, who was previously CEO of Orange SA's French unit, will take over on June 1, the French satellite company said in a statement Monday.

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Yahoo
43 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tesla announces launch date for game-changing new service: 'That's how progress works'
Tesla could be launching its robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, in a matter of days after the automaker tested its self-driving Model Ys ahead of schedule. According to Bloomberg, Tesla is eyeing Thursday as the official launch date — with several caveats. For one, that timeline could still change. Secondly, only 10 self-driving electric vehicles will be in operation, with Teslarati reporting riders will need an invite from the company. If realized, Tesla's robotaxi could be a major win for a brand reinventing itself around driverless vehicles and artificial intelligence. The company has found itself on bumpy roads at the outset of 2025, with plummeting stocks and a 13% year-over-year dip in EV deliveries in the first quarter of the year. While a growing number of automakers are entering the lucrative electric vehicle market, giving consumers more options than ever when choosing an EV, CEO Elon Musk's polarizing involvement in politics did the brand no favors and contributed to the decline. As for the robotaxi, several media reports suggested that Tesla hadn't begun testing it at all, as Teslarati noted, causing a flurry of speculation that a June launch was another one of the company's pipe dreams. However, at the end of May, Bloomberg reported that a Tesla robotaxi had completed its first test run on public roads without someone in the driver's seat. Tesla didn't respond to the publication's request for comment, but on May 28, Musk said on the social platform X that Tesla had been testing for multiple days. When it launches, Tesla won't have the first autonomous taxi service in Austin. Waymo, which completes around 250,000 self-driving rides each week across multiple cities, tested a prototype in Austin in 2015 and began a limited rollout of its self-driving service in the city in March 2024 before opening it to the public. Critics of Tesla's robotaxi worry that a June launch may be premature, as the automaker has well-documented struggles with its autonomous driving features. Recently, a pair of Business Insider writers had their Tesla robotaxi proceed through a red light in San Francisco. If those reported issues are addressed, though, having more EVs on the roadways would be a positive development, contributing to healthier air quality, as they don't release heat-trapping, asthma-linked pollution when driven the way gas-powered vehicles do. EV drivers also report significant savings on energy and maintenance. Many are maximizing their savings by installing solar panels, which are cheaper to use than relying on public charging stations or the grid. EnergySage can save homeowners up to $10,000 in installation costs. Would you ride in a self-driving Tesla Robotaxi? Heck yes Probably Not anytime soon No way Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. However, if you're not ready to invest in a system, Palmetto's LightReach solar panel leasing program is another way to tap into the benefits of solar. Its no-money-down plans will lock you into a low monthly rate, protecting you against volatile pricing associated with dirty fuels. Meanwhile, commenters on the Teslarati article had mixed reactions to the robotaxi launch. "They've only tried to run without safety driver for a few days," one person wrote. "If FSD [Full Self-Driving] is really so great, why did it take so long for them to even dare trying this so late, and months after having hundreds of cars roaming around Austin with safety drivers?" "That's how progress works. Lots of minor steps to the end goal," another suggested. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.


CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Sen. Warren asks for contingency plans on national security after Trump and Musk's social media fallout
Sen. Elizabeth Warren is asking Secretary of State Marco Rubio for information on the Trump administration's contingency plans if billionaire Elon Musk breaches his companies' current contracts with the U.S. amid the ongoing public fallout between him and President Trump. In a letter to Rubio as acting national security adviser and obtained by CBS News, Warren said Mr. Trump and Musk's public disagreements about the upcoming reconciliation bill that escalated into a public online spat could "have serious implications for U.S. national security." The Massachusetts Democrat mentioned Mr. Trump's proposal to terminate Musk's government contracts and subsidies, which the world's richest man followed with a threat that SpaceX would "begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately." Musk has since walked back his threat. "No petty social media fight between the president and a billionaire should jeopardize U.S. national security," Warren said. In addition to contingency plans for SpaceX, the senator asked for information regarding the impact on U.S. agencies' satellite communications if Musk's Starlink is turned off. Additionally, she asked Rubio to provide any analysis that the Trump administration has conducted "of its authorities and options under the Defense Production Act to address vendor lock, monopolies, or contractor refusal to meet national security needs." She asked to receive answers to her questions by June 14, whether through a classified briefing or preferably a public response that can be released to Congress and the public, the letter said. Warren has been a vocal opponent of Musk and his involvement in the Trump administration. Last week, she released a report that outlines instances her office has found of Musk benefiting from it. Musk's rocket company has received tens of billions of dollars from the federal government over the last decade, including $3.8 billion in the 2024 fiscal year alone, according to federal records. The bulk of those federal grants are from NASA, which has paid SpaceX billions over the last decade to ferry astronauts and supplies to and from the International Space Station. The agency has also awarded SpaceX upwards of $2 billion in recent years to design and build a lunar lander, as part of NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the moon for the first time in a half-century. While the public spat appears to have cooled somewhat, Mr. Trump told NBC News' Kristen Welker in a phone interview on Saturday that he has no plans to make up with the mega-billionaire. "I'm too busy doing other things," Trump continued. "You know, I won an election in a landslide. I gave him a lot of breaks, long before this happened, I gave him breaks in my first administration, and saved his life in my first administration, I have no intention of speaking to him." When asked by a reporter Friday if he's still considering rolling back subsidies to Musk as a money-saving move, Mr. Trump suggested he was open to it. "He's got a lot of money, he gets a lot of subsidy. So we'll take a look at that," the president said on Air Force One. "Only if it's fair for him and for the country. I would certainly think about it, but it has to be fair." This isn't the first time the president has needled Musk over his companies' federal subsidies. In a 2022 feud, Mr. Trump claimed Musk would be "worthless" without hefty subsidies for "electric cars that don't drive long enough" and "rocketships to nowhere." The two mended their relationship then and Musk spent hundreds of millions to help elect Mr. Trump in 2024. The billionaire went on to lead the Trump White House's cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency until last week. contributed to this report.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Threads Continues to See Strong Download Momentum in May
This story was originally published on Social Media Today. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Social Media Today newsletter. Threads continues to hold its place in the app download charts, with Meta's Twitter replicant remaining at 8th spot in the list, and seeing an increase in overall download volume in May. As you can see in this latest ranking data from AppFigures, Threads saw 23 million downloads across iOS and Android in May, which is up from 22 million April, and at the same level that the app saw in March. Threads is now up to 350 million monthly active users, and gaining quickly on X, which reported in March that it's now up to 600 million monthly actives, an increase of 50 million year-over-year. Though those figures are somewhat questionable, considering that X has also down 15% on overall European usage since Elon Musk took over at the app, as per its official DSA reporting data. As a private company, X is not obligated to share auditable usage data, but it does have to provide such for Europe, and given that its EU audience is down, it would be surprising if X is somehow gaining significant momentum in other markets, and not only replacing its lost EU users, but also exceeding its previous audience. But even so, Threads is clearly doing something right, as it continues to gain in download numbers, and attract more people to the app. The platform is increasingly putting more focus on real-time news, while it's also enhancing its live event elements, including sports, as it seeks to supplant X as the top platform for in-the-moment engagement. Looking at other app movements, TikTok remains popular, staying in the top three for downloads throughout the year thus far, and switching places back and forth with Instagram for second spot behind ChatGPT. Facebook and WhatsApp have also held their positions in the list, while Snapchat is also still clinging to the top 10. Though it is also interesting to consider Snap's relative challenges in this respect, by comparing the performance of these apps. One of Snapchat's key problems is that while it remains a key utility for younger audiences, it doesn't maintain that hold on older users, and as users age up, it loses them to other apps. That's somewhat reflected in the data, with Snapchat seeing strong download volume, but sitting on fewer users, at 900 million monthly actives, and 460 million daily users. IG, Facebook and TikTok have all surpassed the billion user milestone, and it's interesting to see Snap remaining at lower usage levels, despite relative download interest. It's another reminder of Snap's growth challenges, and how it needs to evolve in line with its audience. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data