Latest news with #DanaHull
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Bloomberg
Elon, Inc: What's Elon's Next Move?
On this week's episode, host David gathers Max Chafkin and Dana Hull to go through the latest developments in the aftermath of the Elon Musk-Donald Trump explosion last week. After two (!) emergency episodes in as many days last week, things seem to have calmed down between the South Africa native and the US president—but there are still signs of friction. Will Trump ever be able to forgive the insults Musk hurled at him on social media (as in, Trump should be impeached a third time)? Can he afford not to? In the midst of all the drama, it's easy to forget that this week will reportedly see a milestone event for Tesla: the June 12 launch of a robotaxi service in Austin, Texas. The operation will be small to start, with just 10-20 cars serving a limited area, according to the company. But the timing of the event is eyebrow raising. Not only does it come on the heels of Musk's tweet-storm meltdown, it also happens a mere week after a Bloomberg story outlining a lethal crash involving a self-driving Tesla. The crew discuss just how long the odds are for robotaxi success. To end, Chafkin has brought a feud to the program. This week it's Musk against his own chatbot, Grok. Why is he so disappointed with his digital companion this time? The answer includes a screen short, a left wing meme and an artificial intellgence with a surprising lack of digital critical thinking.
Bloomberg
27-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Elon, Inc: Is Elon Really Quitting Politics... for Banking?
When Bloomberg's Mishal Husain interviewed Elon Musk last week, it caused quite a stir. This was especially the case when Musk proclaimed, 'in terms of political spending, I'm gonna do a lot less in the future.' (Most news reports missed a sly qualification that made this seem more like an ultimatum. But more on that below). Coverage of the supposed end of Musk's role as Republican Party's Sugar Daddy added fuel to the ongoing 'what will Elon do now?' frenzy. Over the weekend, a substantial outage at his social media platform X may have added some clarity. In response, the serial entrepreneur announced he was going 'back to spending 24/7 at work and sleeping in conference/server/factory rooms.' Or not. In this episode of Elon, Inc., Max Chafkin brings together Elon Musk reporter Dana Hull and social media reporter Kurt Wagner to discuss whether Musk means what he says about politics, subsidizing the GOP or even going back to work. Is he really leaving politics in the rearview mirror? Or were these statements calculated? Could they be a way for him to intimidate lawmakers who are expecting campaign funds while assuring investors he's on top of his sometimes struggling companies? To round things off, they rank Musk's most immediate plans on a scale of how likely they are to succeed in the foreseeable future. Will it be X Money? A functioning fleet of 'robotaxis?' Or maybe shooting Tesla's humanoid robot Optimus to Mars? There was some disagreement.
Bloomberg
13-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Elon, Inc: An Insider's View on What Ails Tesla
In this week's episode of Elon, Inc., host Max Chafkin and Bloomberg Elon Musk reporter Dana Hull sit down with Matthew LaBrot, a former Tesla sales manager who made headlines last week following his departure from the company. LaBrot was the man behind the 'Tesla Employees Against Elon' website, which consisted of an open letter from an initially anonymous LaBrot criticizing the company's multibillionaire CEO. He suggested Tesla would be better off continuing its mission without the South Africa native, his antics and the headlines that follow in his wake. Despite recent reports of the company board also having second thoughts about Musk's performance as CEO, the company seemingly didn't agree, and took swift action. On the podcast, LaBrot outlines why he decided to write the letter, how he came to part ways with the company and how Tesla employees handle, or willfully ignore, 'the elephant in the room.' As a former sales manager, LaBrot also spells out the internal struggles of the company as sales started plummeting in tandem with Musk's far-right turn and association with President Donald Trump. Hull and Chafkin also go through a list of additional Musk news from the week. These include a spat with Bill Gates, some good news for the Boring company and the latest example of cross-pollination in the Musk empire: Tesla hardware powering xAI's supercomputer.
Bloomberg
06-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Elon, Inc.: Elon Just Got His Very Own Town
It's no secret that Elon Musk isn't a big fan of the US Securities and Exchange Commission. He and his companies have been the subject of a plethora of investigations and regulatory scrutiny over the years (who can forget the infamous words 'funding secured'?), and there's currently a probe of Musk's aquistition of Twitter shares. But only recently have Musk's minions begun to ramp up their efforts to shrink the SEC. And while the 'Department of Government Efficiency' has hugely missed the mark in terms of how much Musk claimed it would cut, hobbling the SEC could have profound consequences for Musk's fortune. On this week's episode of Elon, Inc., host David Papadopoulos is joined by Bloomberg Businessweek senior writer Max Chafkin, Bloomberg Elon Musk reporter Dana Hull and SEC reporter Nicola White to discuss Musk's run-ins with the agency and what we can possibly expect from DOGE's doings. Speaking of eyebrow raising—Musk just scored a big victory in Texas when residents of the small community near SpaceX's rocket launch site voted to officially incorporate the area as 'Starbase.' Bloomberg legal reporter Madlin Mekelburg joins the gang to discuss. To end things, Chafkin has spotted a brewing feud in Musk's world. No, it's not the Tesla CEO vs. the Tesla board, it's Elon Musk vs. his neighbors—and this spat has it all.
