General Motors is abandoning its BrightDrop electric delivery vans, just four years after introducing the vehicles.The company announced Tuesday alongside third-quarter earnings that it made the decision because the “commercial electric delivery van market developed much slower than expected.” GM also blames the “changing regulatory environment and the elimination of tax credits in the United States” — the result of the second Trump administration’s hostility toward EVs. BrightDrop production has been susp ...

Core Points - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an investigation into Waymo's autonomous vehicle performance after a robotaxi was seen maneuvering around a stopped school bus in Atlanta, Georgia [1][2] - The investigation will focus on how Waymo's self-driving software interacts with stopped school buses and compliance with related safety rules [2] - Waymo claims that the robotaxi could not see the bus's flashing lights or stop sign due to the bus partially blocking the driveway [2][3] Company Performance and Safety - Waymo emphasizes that safety is its top priority, stating that its vehicles are involved in fewer crashes than human-driven ones [3] - The company has issued software updates to improve the performance of its fleet in response to safety concerns [3] Expansion and Testing - 2023 has been a year of expansion for Waymo, with launches in Atlanta, Austin, and testing in various metro areas including New York City [4][7] - The company is also testing its robotaxis at major airports and has plans for further expansion into more cities by 2026 [4] Previous Investigations - This is not the first investigation by NHTSA into Waymo; previous probes have included issues with roadway barriers and vehicles entering wrong lanes or construction zones [8][9]

An outage affecting web hosting giant Amazon Web Services (AWS) has taken out vast swathes of the web, including websites, banks and some government services.Amazon said on Monday morning that the outage had been “fully mitigated” and that most services are returning to normal after an hours-long stretch during which much of the internet could not load.  The internet giant blamed the outage, which began around 3 a.m. on the U.S. east coast, on DNS, a system that converts web addresses into IP addresses so ...

Core Insights - Stellantis and Pony.ai have signed a non-binding agreement to develop robotaxis for deployment in Europe [1] - The collaboration will utilize Pony's self-driving software integrated into Stellantis's electric medium-size van platform [1] Group 1: Deployment Plans - Initial testing will be conducted with vehicles based on the Peugeot e-Traveller model in Luxembourg, starting in the coming months [2] - Plans are in place to expand the rollout of vehicles across various European cities beginning in 2026 [2] Group 2: Strategic Partnerships and Market Expansion - The partnership follows Pony.ai's recent collaboration with Uber to enter international markets, including Europe and the Middle East [2] - Pony.ai has received an autonomous vehicle testing permit from Luxembourg in April, facilitating its expansion efforts [2] Group 3: Financial Strategies - Pony.ai is pursuing a second IPO, aiming for a secondary listing on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong while already being listed on Nasdaq [3] - The company is focused on expanding its market share in Europe beyond its existing operations in China [3]

Core Insights - Austin Russell, the billionaire founder of Luminar, is attempting to acquire the lidar manufacturer five months after his removal as CEO due to an ethics inquiry [1][4] - The acquisition plan involves Russell's new company, Russell AI Labs, purchasing 100% of Luminar's Class A Common Stock, with intentions to potentially merge Luminar with a larger automotive technology company to form a unified platform [2][3] Group 1: Acquisition Details - The acquisition proposal was made on October 14, following suggestions from certain Luminar shareholders and board members, though specific names were not disclosed [3] - If the acquisition proceeds, Luminar would remain publicly traded, and Russell may invest in the newly combined entity [2] Group 2: Background Context - Russell's removal as CEO was announced on May 19, coinciding with Luminar's first-quarter earnings report, and was attributed to a "code of business conduct and ethics inquiry" conducted by the board's audit committee [4][5] - Russell has a history of takeover attempts, including a failed bid for Forbes in 2023, which faced complications due to investor follow-through issues and alleged connections to a Russian oligarch [6] Group 3: Current Company Structure - Despite his removal, Russell remains on Luminar's board and was expected to assist the new CEO with transition and technology matters, although he has not signed any SEC filings since his departure [8] - Russell co-founded Russell AI Labs in September, which aims to support transformative AI and technology companies, and has already invested $300 million in an AI company called Emergence [9]

Core Insights - Meta is introducing new parental control features for teens interacting with AI characters, set to launch next year, allowing parents to block characters and monitor conversation topics [1][2] - Parents will have the option to disable chats with AI characters entirely or selectively, and they will receive insights into the topics discussed by their teens [2][3] - The company aims to provide tools that simplify internet navigation for parents, especially regarding new technologies like AI [3] Parental Controls - The upcoming features will be available on Instagram and will initially be rolled out in English in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia [2] - Parents can set time limits on their teens' interactions with AI characters, and currently, teens can only engage with a limited number of age-appropriate characters [5] Content Guidelines - Meta's AI experiences for teens will adhere to a PG-13 movie rating standard, avoiding sensitive topics such as extreme violence, nudity, and graphic drug use [4] - The company has previously implemented AI to identify users attempting to bypass age restrictions on the platform [5] Industry Context - Recent changes by multiple platforms, including Meta, OpenAI, and YouTube, reflect growing concerns about the impact of social media on teen mental health and ongoing lawsuits against AI companies related to teen suicides [7]

Core Insights - Lilium, a German electric aircraft startup, has faced insolvency and multiple failed restructuring attempts, leading to a competitive bid process for its assets [1][2][3] - Archer Aviation won the bid for Lilium's patent assets, acquiring them for €18 million ($21 million), which includes critical eVTOL technologies [2][4] - Lilium raised over $1 billion from investors and went public in 2021 but struggled with cash flow and product delivery [3] Group 1: Company Overview - Lilium was founded in 2015 and aimed to develop a vertical take-off and landing aircraft capable of speeds up to 100 km/h [3] - The company attracted significant investment, including from Tencent, and secured a notable order for 100 electric jets from Saudi Arabia [3] Group 2: Acquisition and Patents - Archer Aviation's acquisition of Lilium's patents includes technologies such as high-voltage systems, flight controls, and ducted fans, enhancing Archer's intellectual property portfolio to over 1,000 global patents [4] - The future application of Lilium's electric ducted fans by Archer remains uncertain, although they may be suitable for light-sport or regional electric flight [5] Group 3: Archer Aviation's Strategy - Archer, which also went public in 2021, initially focused on an air taxi network but has expanded its strategy to include a defense program in collaboration with Anduril for developing hybrid VTOL aircraft [6]

Core Insights - Waymo is expanding its business model beyond robotaxis to include delivery services through a partnership with DoorDash [3][4] - The partnership will initially focus on delivering orders from DashMart within a 315-square-mile area of Phoenix [3][4] - The delivery process will involve customers retrieving their orders from the trunk of a driverless Waymo vehicle [5][6] Company Developments - Waymo has previously tested delivery services with UPS and Uber Eats but has shifted focus to robotaxis after closing its self-driving truck program in 2023 [2] - DoorDash has experience in autonomous vehicle technology, having partnered with Serve Robotics and developed its own delivery bot called Dot [4] Operational Details - The Waymo delivery service will not utilize DoorDash's Dot vehicle; instead, it will employ a driverless Jaguar I-Pace for deliveries [5] - The success of the delivery model will depend on customer acceptance of retrieving items from an autonomous vehicle rather than receiving them directly from a human [6]

Core Insights - Amazon's Ring has partnered with Flock, an AI-powered surveillance camera manufacturer, allowing law enforcement agencies using Flock to request footage from Ring doorbell users for evidence collection and investigative purposes [1][2] - Flock's technology includes scanning license plates and enabling natural language searches of video footage to identify individuals matching specific descriptions, although concerns exist regarding racial biases in AI surveillance [1] - The partnership could significantly expand Flock's access to video footage, as it already has connections with agencies like ICE, the Secret Service, and the Navy [2] - Ring has faced scrutiny over its video security practices, having been ordered by the FTC to pay $5.8 million in 2023 due to unauthorized access to customer videos by employees and contractors [2]

Core Points - Meta is shutting down Messenger's standalone desktop apps for Windows and Mac on December 15, with users redirected to the Facebook website for access [1][2] - Users will receive an in-app notification about the deprecation process, with a 60-day period to use the Mac Messenger app before it becomes unusable [2] - The company is alerting users to familiarize themselves with alternative options, such as the Facebook desktop app and online Messenger access [3] User Transition and Security - Meta encourages users to activate secure storage and set up a PIN to save chat history before transitioning to the web version [4] - Once users move to Facebook.com, their chat history will be accessible across all platforms [4] Background and User Reaction - This decision follows Meta's previous replacement of the native Messenger app with a Progressive Web App in September 2024 [5] - The discontinuation of desktop apps may lead to backlash from dedicated users of these applications [5]