Latest news with #KimbalMusk
Time of India
31-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Why is Elon Musk fixing US schools while the government stalls? xAI tackles Memphis HVAC failures
Elon Musk's xAI helps repair US school infrastructure as Memphis battles $1B maintenance gap Elon Musk 's artificial intelligence company, xAI, is helping Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) upgrade outdated infrastructure, including HVAC systems, at several schools near its newly established facility in Memphis. The work is being done through in-kind donations and is part of a broader push by Musk-linked organizations to support education and youth services in Memphis. According to a representative from xAI, as reported by the Memphis Commercial Appeal, the company has already completed some HVAC-related repairs at multiple schools, including getting fans operational and opening ductwork in April and May. These efforts are focused on campuses near xAI's first supercomputer data center in the city. Inspections at schools near xAI's Memphis facility xAI has inspected facilities at John P Freeman Optional School, Fairley High School, and Westwood High School. According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, the company evaluated HVAC and plumbing systems, athletic fields, and gyms. The inspections were conducted alongside principals and school administrators, resulting in what the xAI representative described as a "large list" of items needing attention. MSCS is facing over $1 billion in deferred maintenance, much of it linked to aging infrastructure across its buildings. xAI's representative noted that the company contracted a local firm to donate "time and material labor" for the repairs. As per MSCS policy, in-kind donations under $499 are accepted by principals, while those between $500 and $14,999 require the superintendent's approval, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal. STEM workshops and tech donations in the works In addition to infrastructure support, xAI is planning to launch STEM workshops for local students and donate equipment to technical training programs. The company is also supporting job fairs aimed at expanding employment opportunities in the area. "These initiatives reflect xAI's commitment to fostering education and economic growth in Memphis," the company stated, as reported by the Memphis Commercial Appeal. The company has also cleaned up over 100 tons of garbage and debris from roadways within a five-mile radius of its data center. Musk Foundation steps in to support after-school programs Separately, the Musk Foundation, a private charitable organization founded by Elon Musk and his brother Kimbal Musk, donated $350,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis. According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, this donation allows two high school club sites—Booker T. Washington High School and Westwood High School—to reopen after being closed in May due to funding shortfalls. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis had received $9 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds in 2021. These federal funds were time-limited and had to be obligated by the end of 2024. The donation will cover operational costs such as salaries, transportation, and program supplies for nearly 1,000 students. Elon Musk said in a statement that "kids are the future of humanity" and emphasized the need to give them "every chance to shoot for the stars," as quoted by the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Michael Garriga, Board Chair of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis, said the organization was "very grateful" for the donation and that it would help youth in the community develop skills for success. Additional local support for Memphis youth In addition to the Musk Foundation's contribution, Shelby County Government donated $10,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis in early June, as reported by the Memphis Commercial Appeal. TOI Education is on WhatsApp now. Follow us here . Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!
Time of India
22-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Elon Musk's 'wake-up call' for America echoes what brother Kimbal Musk said on Donald Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill'
Elon Musk donald trump conflict Elon Musk has once again cautioned the US government, saying that China's solar power generation is on a trajectory to surpass the entire electricity output of the US within the next three to four years. His claim comes days after his brother, Kimbal Musk , criticised President Donald Trump's proposed 'Big, Beautiful Bill,' warning that the legislation would cripple the US renewable energy sector and jeopardize American energy independence . 'Solar power in China will exceed ALL sources of electricity combined in the USA in 3 to 4 years. Wake up call,' Musk said in a post which showed data from Ember, a global energy think tank. Ember's data chart suggests China's solar output hit 100 TWh in May 2025 and is doubling every two years, outpacing the US's 400 TWh monthly total. Musk brothers raise concerns on 'Big, Beautiful Bill's' impact on power generation The concerns of the Musk brothers centre on the future of solar and wind power in the US, which they argue would be decimated by the new bill. Kimbal Musk, an entrepreneur and board member of Tesla and SpaceX, criticised the bill last week with a stark warning about the legislation's impact. "American Energy Independence is critical to our national security. The new bill will drive solar and wind energy growth to zero. Zero," Kimbal Musk stated publicly. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Memperdagangkan CFD Emas dengan salah satu spread terendah? IC Markets Mendaftar Undo He argued that the halt in renewable expansion would force the US into a desperate scramble for traditional energy sources, directly undermining its ability to compete globally, particularly with China. 'We will need 25 new natural gas plants built per year to replace our amazingly successful solar and wind energy growth that this bill will kill,' he projected. Highlighting the urgency, he added, 'Do the math. It takes 5-7 years to build a natural gas plant. The AI race will be won or lost in the next few years. Our energy grids are already collapsing.' He shared a post on X (formerly Twitter) from Jesse Peltan, co-founder of HODL Ranch, to which Musk replied, 'They don't understand.'
Time of India
18-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Elon Musk reacts to his brother's criticism of Donald Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill'
Elon Musk has echoed the concerns of his brother Kimbal Musk over the future of American energy independence and about the impact of President Donald Trump 's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' on renewable energy growth. Kimbal Musk criticised the new legislation, arguing that it would halt the expansion of solar and wind power in the United States. He asserted that the bill's provisions would necessitate the construction of 25 new natural gas plants per year to compensate for the renewable energy growth that would be lost. "American Energy Independence is critical to our national security. The new bill will drive solar and wind energy growth to zero. Zero," he said. Kimbal Musk fired 'China warning' in terms of energy consumption He also questioned where the US will get enough energy to compete with China. "We will need 25 new natural gas plants built per year to replace our amazingly successful solar and wind energy growth that this bill will kill. Do the math. It takes 5-7 years to build a natural gas plant. The AI race will be won or lost in the next few years. Our energy grids are already collapsing," he added. "We need more energy now, not in 2032. American Energy Independence goes away because of a grudge against solar? Come on guys, we can do better than this," Kimbal Musk noted. His post got a reply from Jesse Peltan, co-founder and CTO of HODL Ranch, who shared a graph that showed how China's solar and nuclear energy is better than the US. "They don't understand," said Peltan. Musk shared Peltan's post, saying, "They sure don't." The bill is argued to effectively roll back key clean energy tax incentives established by previous administrations, particularly under the Inflation Reduction Act. It is also argued that it will accelerate the phase-out of existing clean electricity production and investment tax credits for solar, wind, and other renewables. As per draft bill, solar and wind incentives cuts will be 60% of their value in 2026 and end by 2028. Under current law, the phase-out will not begin until 2032. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
The Independent
09-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Elon Musk's father says Tesla boss called Donald Trump ‘evil' and a ‘crook'
Elon Musk 's father has claimed his son branded Donald Trump 'evil' and a 'crook'. Errol Musk recalled a conversation he claimed he had with his two sons, Elon and Kimbal, prior to the 2016 presidential election, when he appeared on TalkTV on Friday (6 June). In the conversation, Mr Musk Snr claimed he had voiced support for Mr Trump at a family gathering, with his two sons firmly disagreeing, saying: 'No, he's a con man, he's a thief, he's a crook.' When questioned by host Kevin O'Sullivan on why the SpaceX founder changed his mind about Mr Trump, Mr Musk Snr said it was down to the Biden presidency and its impact on his businesses.
The Guardian
12-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Trump's projects have caused widespread harm – but some are starting to fizzle
Soon after Elon Musk slapped the air with a double Nazi salute, his brother Kimbal went on X to say: 'This is what success feels like.' And three months ago, he seemed to have a point. The Trump administration, which appeared to have been co-led for a time by big brother Musk, is now in a period of retrenchment. Initiatives focused on Gaza, tariffs, spending, deporting millions of migrantand 'government efficiency' have all deflated somewhat. We are admittedly only a small fraction of the way through this second Trump term, but a pattern appears to be emerging: the president proclaims a big policy goal, Maga appointees scramble to interpret his objectives, and then the whole thing is abandoned in paroxysm. Which isn't to say that real harm isn't being caused – just less than might otherwise be. First, the Gaza riviera. Trump's response to the genocide in Palestine was to envision a grand ethnic cleansing embellished by Carrara marble and rickrack. Questions the president didn't seem to have asked in advance: where would the Palestinians go? Why would Egypt or Jordan risk regime-ending instability? Who would pay for it all? Faced with the difficulty of implementing a complex plan,which only 3% of Israeli Jews regard as immoral, Trump retreated. But not before facilitating harm. His explicit endorsement of the majority view in Israel that Palestinian residents of Gaza should relocate has only permitted the leadership in that country to accelerate their Biden-era policy. Now, Israel Katz, the Israeli defense minister, openly speaks of using starvation as a tool in Gaza, something the Israelis were shy about admitting only seven months ago. And since Benjamin Netanyahu's government broke the ceasefire with Hamas in March, Israeli troops have murdered more than 2,100 Palestinians – the majority of them children. Again, an extension of the Biden policy, but without the chintzy gilt. The tariff debacle, meanwhile, showcased the administration's inability to shoot straight. A Forbes analysis counts nine flip-flops on tariff policy. Bad policy is bad – whiplash makes it worse. One of the arguments explaining the dollar's status as the world's reserve currency – the tender most countries use for trade and global finance – is that the US is a big and stable country that pays its bills and honors its commitments. That trust in America's ability to manage an economy confers lots of benefits to Americans, such as lower borrowing and transaction expenses. Demand for the US dollar allows the US to finance deficits, seemingly indefinitely. But there are signs that the erratic tariff policy has caused other countries – who buy US debt – to question old assumptions about stability and growth. It turns out that, like addressing Palestine, trade policy is hard. But it didn't have to be like this – a measured tariff policy could have helped enhance American industry. Coupled with prohibitions on stock buybacks – a Reagan-era concession to corruption that allows CEOs to inflate their stock prices and 'performance' bonuses – a sensible tariff policy could have helped facilitate the investment of corporate profits domestically, reinvigorating the labor movement to produce better jobs. But policy requires a clear statement of goals and an understanding of how to get there – neither of which the Trump administration was able to articulate. Economic growth has almost certainly been dented by the bizarre trade war and myriad reversals – so we'll probably see more deficit spending at higher borrowing rates. And then there's Yemen, where the Houthi government has harassed Israeli-affiliated boats in response to the genocide. The catastrophic effort to bomb the Yemenis into submission, again, an extension of Joe Biden's Israel policy, was preceded with bluster. In March, Trump issued a message on his website that read, 'To all Houthi terrorists, YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON'T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!' But nearly two months into America's bombing campaign, which has killed hundreds in Yemen at vast expense, the effort to open trade routes in the Red Sea has resulted in a negotiated detente which falls far short of achieving Trump's goals. The deal commits the Yemenis to leaving American ships alone, but says nothing about Israeli-affiliated vessels. The Wall Street Journal reports that the deal took the Israelis by surprise. Meanwhile, Elon Musk's 'department of government efficiency' (Doge) dramatically overestimated its potential and overstated its accomplishments: at a meeting last month, Musk said he expected Doge cuts would save $150bn, or 85% less than the promised $1tn. Now Musk is returning to Tesla – whose weak quarterly results have caused the stock price to crash back to earth. All of it a bad joke, played on the American people. Trump's inability to follow through on his big initiatives is probably attributable to lots of things, but the quality of the man, and the people around him, stick out. Pete Hesgeth, the secretary of defense, appears unfocused and unbalanced in interviews. Kristi Noem, head of the US Department of Homeland Security, seems obsessed with pageantry and appearances, while the attorney general, Pam Bondi, exhibits sycophantic tendencies. Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, and JD Vance spent a lot of time explaining how dangerous Trump was – Vance compared Trump to Hitler – before joining his administration. All seem to have been hired for their ability to flatter and prostrate themselves, which is not the same as competence or executive experience. So now, a bigger picture is emerging. The operating moral principle directing the Trump presidency seems to be that people are generally worse than they proclaim to be. And the president has gone out of his way to hire people with limited talent and ability, whose main qualification is Maga, people who can't follow through on big pronouncements and goals. It is indeed government by the worst. Ahmed Moor is a writer and fellow at the Foundation for Middle East Peace
