Latest news with #Beehiiv
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
TechCrunch Mobility: Tesla enters its Grok era, and teens come for robotaxis
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. Sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! In case you missed my announcement last week, TechCrunch Mobility is moving to the Beehiiv publishing platform. The launch is scheduled for July 18. Beehiiv provides lots of cool features to help me better engage with you. It's a win for both of newsletter emails will continue to come from newsletters@ To ensure you don't miss a single one, please add the above address to your contacts and move it to your primary inbox. This tells your internet service provider that you love TechCrunch and want to see this newsletter. Before we jump into the rest of the news, a word about Grok, the AI model created by xAI, an Elon Musk company that recently acquired his social media service X. Yes, this is related to transportation. Grok, which can analyze images and respond to questions, is meant to be a competitor to models like OpenAI's ChatGPT. Grok has become a centerpiece of X, where users interact with the AI chatbot. It's also become increasingly combative and gone on several antisemitic tirades, praised Hitler, and even made rape threats. (Those posts have been taken down.) And just yesterday, AI reporter Max Zeff discovered that xAI's newest model, Grok 4, seems to consult social media posts from Musk's X account when answering questions about the Israel and Palestine conflict, abortion, immigration laws, and other controversial issues. How is any of this related to transportation? Grok is coming to Tesla vehicles as soon as next week, according to Musk. A well-known white hat hacker who uses the handle 'Green the Only' dug into Tesla's firmware and made a few discoveries. For example, drivers will be able to choose certain Grok 'personalities,' including ones that are NSFW (not safe for work), argumentative, kids story, sexy, therapist, unhinged, and more. He also found that 'Grok currently requires premium connectivity and pairs into your existing account.' Got a tip for us? Email Kirsten Korosec at or my Signal at kkorosec.07, Sean O'Kane at or Rebecca Bellan at Or check out these instructions to learn how to contact us via encrypted messaging apps or SecureDrop. In another episode of 'Is it 2016?' Rivian micromobility spinout Also raised another $200 million with a post-money valuation of $1 billion. Yes, that's right, a micromobility company that has yet to reveal its first product. As we've reported before, there is a lot of hype and anticipation around Also — and Jony Ive's LoveFrom connection to the brand certainly helps raise its profile. Speaking of buzzy EVs that have raised eye-popping rounds, senior reporter Sean O'Kane interviewed the founders of Slauson & Co., a Los Angeles venture firm that launched five years ago and was an early investor in the Jeff Bezos-backed Slate Auto. Want to catch up on Slate Auto news? We created a handy Slate Auto timeline that covers all our scoops and news. We will update this regularly. Finnish e-motor startup Donut Lab raised €25 million ($29.2 million) in a seed funding round led by Risto Siilasmaa, the founder of cybersecurity company WithSecure (formerly F-Secure). Risto has also joined Donut Lab's board. INSHUR, an insurance products service focused on the on-demand economy, raised $35 million from Trinity Capital. The new funding will support INSHUR's continued expansion across the United States. President Trump has nominated Jonathan Morrison to head the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Morrison has a history of tussling with Tesla. Meanwhile, it looks like Tesla is trying to spread its robotaxi wings. The company applied to test and operate autonomous vehicles in Arizona in a bid to bring its fledgling robotaxi service to the Metro Phoenix area. Our story has a few interesting tidbits and explains the AV permitting process in Phoenix. One critical point: The company will also need a TNC permit to provide ride-hailing services. Musk also commented that robotaxis will come to the Bay Area once they receive regulatory approval in 'a month or two.' There's just one issue with that: The California DMV, which regulates AVs, says Tesla hasn't even applied for a driverless testing or deployment permit yet. As of today, Tesla only has an autonomous vehicle testing permit for public road testing with a safety driver, which it's held since 2014. Waymo continues to expand, and not just geographically. The company is opening up its robotaxi service in Phoenix to teenagers. There are caveats here, namely that the teens can only sign up through a verified parent's account. And they have to be ages 14 to 17, so no 13-year-olds. That suggests Waymo wants to steer clear of middle schoolers and only provide service to those in high school. Meanwhile, Waymo is sniffing around New York City (a famously restrictive place for AVs) and Philadelphia. The company kicked off 'road trips' in the two Northeastern cities. Road trips can be viewed as early testing, although in New York City the vehicles will all be manually driven and used to map and collect data. Several new EVs broke cover this past week: Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius took the upcoming all-electric GLC for a test ride; Subaru said it will reveal its new all-electric compact crossover SUV at 7:30 p.m. ET on July 17; and Volvo shared information about the carbon footprint of the all-electric ES90, which starts production later this summer. Meanwhile, I spent a few days in the 2026 Rivian quad-motor R1S and R1T. This is the second generation of the flagship EV and the EV maker's most expensive trim, which costs between $115,990 and $125,990, depending on the version. Check out the full article about my test drive, which digs into the tech behind the second-generation flagship EV. Sign in to access your portfolio
TechCrunch
11-07-2025
- Automotive
- TechCrunch
TechCrunch Mobility: Tesla enters its Grok era, and teens come for robotaxis
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. Sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! In case you missed my announcement last week, TechCrunch Mobility is moving to the Beehiiv publishing platform. The launch is scheduled for July 18. Beehiiv provides lots of cool features to help me better engage with you. It's a win for both of us. The newsletter emails will continue to come from newsletters@ To ensure you don't miss a single one, please add the above address to your contacts and move it to your primary inbox. This tells your internet service provider that you love TechCrunch and want to see this newsletter. Before we jump into the rest of the news, a word about Grok, the AI model created by xAI, an Elon Musk company that recently acquired his social media service X. Yes, this is related to transportation. Grok, which can analyze images and respond to questions, is meant to be a competitor to models like OpenAI's ChatGPT. Grok has become a centerpiece of X, where users interact with the AI chatbot. It's also become increasingly combative and gone on several antisemitic tirades, praised Hitler, and even made rape threats. (Those posts have been taken down.) And just yesterday, AI reporter Max Zeff discovered that xAI's newest model, Grok 4, seems to consult social media posts from Musk's X account when answering questions about the Israel and Palestine conflict, abortion, immigration laws, and other controversial issues. How is any of this related to transportation? Grok is coming to Tesla vehicles as soon as next week, according to Musk. A well-known white hat hacker who uses the handle 'Green the Only' dug into Tesla's firmware and made a few discoveries. For example, drivers will be able to choose certain Grok 'personalities,' including ones that are NSFW (not safe for work), argumentative, kids story, sexy, therapist, unhinged, and more. He also found that 'Grok currently requires premium connectivity and pairs into your existing account.' Techcrunch event Save up to $475 on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Save $450 on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Boston, MA | REGISTER NOW A little bird Image Credits:Bryce Durbin Got a tip for us? Email Kirsten Korosec at or my Signal at kkorosec.07, Sean O'Kane at or Rebecca Bellan at Or check out these instructions to learn how to contact us via encrypted messaging apps or SecureDrop. Deals! Image Credits:Bryce Durbin In another episode of 'Is it 2016?' Rivian micromobility spinout Also raised another $200 million with a post-money valuation of $1 billion. Yes, that's right, a micromobility company that has yet to reveal its first product. As we've reported before, there is a lot of hype and anticipation around Also — and Jony Ive's LoveFrom connection to the brand certainly helps raise its profile. Other deals that got my attention this week … Speaking of buzzy EVs that have raised eye-popping rounds, senior reporter Sean O'Kane interviewed the founders of Slauson & Co., a Los Angeles venture firm that launched five years ago and was an early investor in the Jeff Bezos-backed Slate Auto. Want to catch up on Slate Auto news? We created a handy Slate Auto timeline that covers all our scoops and news. We will update this regularly. Finnish e-motor startup Donut Lab raised €25 million ($29.2 million) in a seed funding round led by Risto Siilasmaa, the founder of cybersecurity company WithSecure (formerly F-Secure). Risto has also joined Donut Lab's board. INSHUR, an insurance products service focused on the on-demand economy, raised $35 million from Trinity Capital. The new funding will support INSHUR's continued expansion across the United States. Notable reads and other tidbits Image Credits:Bryce Durbin Autonomous vehicles President Trump has nominated Jonathan Morrison to head the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Morrison has a history of tussling with Tesla. Meanwhile, it looks like Tesla is trying to spread its robotaxi wings. The company applied to test and operate autonomous vehicles in Arizona in a bid to bring its fledgling robotaxi service to the Metro Phoenix area. Our story has a few interesting tidbits and explains the AV permitting process in Phoenix. One critical point: The company will also need a TNC permit to provide ride-hailing services. Musk also commented that robotaxis will come to the Bay Area once they receive regulatory approval in 'a month or two.' There's just one issue with that: The California DMV, which regulates AVs, says Tesla hasn't even applied for a driverless testing or deployment permit yet. As of today, Tesla only has an autonomous vehicle testing permit for public road testing with a safety driver, which it's held since 2014. Waymo continues to expand, and not just geographically. The company is opening up its robotaxi service in Phoenix to teenagers. There are caveats here, namely that the teens can only sign up through a verified parent's account. And they have to be ages 14 to 17, so no 13-year-olds. That suggests Waymo wants to steer clear of middle schoolers and only provide service to those in high school. Meanwhile, Waymo is sniffing around New York City (a famously restrictive place for AVs) and Philadelphia. The company kicked off 'road trips' in the two Northeastern cities. Road trips can be viewed as early testing, although in New York City the vehicles will all be manually driven and used to map and collect data. Electric vehicles, batteries, & charging Several new EVs broke cover this past week: Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius took the upcoming all-electric GLC for a test ride; Subaru said it will reveal its new all-electric compact crossover SUV at 7:30 p.m. ET on July 17; and Volvo shared information about the carbon footprint of the all-electric ES90, which starts production later this summer. Meanwhile, I spent a few days in the 2026 Rivian quad-motor R1S and R1T. This is the second generation of the flagship EV and the EV maker's most expensive trim, which costs between $115,990 and $125,990, depending on the version. Check out the full article about my test drive, which digs into the tech behind the second-generation flagship EV.
Axios
29-04-2025
- Business
- Axios
Exclusive: Digital creator jobs jump 7.5x since pandemic
The number of people with full-time equivalent jobs as digital creators in the U.S. has jumped from 200,000 in 2020 to 1.5 million in 2024, according to a new report. Why it matters: Creators are now the largest and fastest growing segment of the 28.4 million internet-dependent jobs in the U.S. By the numbers: The study, which is published every four years by the Interactive Advertising Bureau and written in conjunction with Harvard Business School professor emeritus John Deighton, found creator jobs have grown 7.5x since 2020. Creator media revenue is growing five times the rate of the traditional media sector, the researchers found. The internet-supported economy of $4.9 trillion accounts for 18% of U.S. GDP, up from 2% in 2008, and is the leading driver of GDP growth, according to the report. Zoom out: Creator job growth is driven by new tools and services that have lowered the bar of entry for making and monetizing online content. Newer platforms like Substack and Beehiiv allow individuals to easily launch and monetize their own online publications. Apps like ByteDance's CapCut — and more recently Instagram's Edits — enable creators to more quickly edit and publish videos. How it works: More consumer choice is driving creator job growth, Leora Kornfeld, principal research consultant and co-author of the study, told Axios. "You decide what's good, not hierarchies or intermediaries. We heard about that decades ago with the internet, but now there are actual business cases attached to it," Kornfeld said, noting the abundance of new songs and videos uploaded online every day. More ad dollars are also going to digital platforms, streaming services and online publishers that personalize content recommendations. The big picture: The digital economy has expanded from technical jobs like coding to creative jobs like content creation and service jobs like food delivery — both of which make up the bulk of new internet jobs. Creators building businesses through content and community comprise 30% of digital economy jobs. Individuals on service platforms like Uber, DoorDash, and Airbnb make up 8%, according to the report. Between the lines: The IAB commissions the report in an effort to educate legislators on the growing importance of the digital economy as they create and amend legislation, said Chris Bruderle, vice president of industry insights and content strategy at IAB. "Each of the congressional districts in the United States, from big to small ... has people, a not insignificant amount of people, whose jobs rely on the digital economy," Bruderle said. He said the report also serves to educate the group's members. IAB's membership includes internet giants like Google, Meta and Amazon alongside media companies like Disney, NBCUniversal and Netflix. What we're watching: The growing creator economy has attracted more investment dollars and spurred acquisitions from traditional companies.
