Elon Musk Wants to Build an A.I. Satellite Factory on the Moon

10 February 2026 at 21:04

In a meeting with employees at his company xAI, Mr. Musk revealed a vision for a facility that includes a giant catapult to launch his satellites into space.

Elon Musk told employees of xAI that he plans to put a factory on the moon as a steppingstone to colonizing Mars.

NLRB Dismisses Case Brought by Fired SpaceX Employees

NYT: Technology

By:Noam Scheiber and Ryan Mac

10 February 2026 at 15:57

The National Labor Relations Board, having accused the company of unfair retaliation in 2024, now says it has no jurisdiction over Elon Musk’s space company.

Eight SpaceX employees were fired soon after asking the company to distance itself from comments made by Elon Musk, including one in which he made light of accusations of harassment directed at him.

After Merging xAI and SpaceX, Elon Musk Hopes He Can Win Over Wall Street

NYT: Technology

By:Kate Conger and Jack Ewing

7 February 2026 at 20:27

The billionaire’s decision to merge his A.I. start-up with his rocket company will test investors’ interest in giant combinations of unalike businesses.

SpaceX’s launchpad near Brownsville, Texas. In addition to rockets and satellites, Elon Musk’s company now includes artificial intelligence and social media businesses.

Elon Musk’s Mega-Merger + We Test Google’s Project Genie + What’s Next for Moltbook Creator

NYT: Technology

By:Kevin Roose · Casey Newton · Rachel Cohn · Whitney Jones · Vjeran Pavic · Katie McMurran · Dan Powell · Marion Lozano and Rowan Niemisto

6 February 2026 at 07:00

“A very valuable and profitable company in SpaceX has acquired a cash furnace named xAI.”

At Ukraine’s Request, Starlink Denies Internet Access to Russian Troops

NYT: Technology

By:Paul Sonne and Maria Varenikova

5 February 2026 at 19:00

It’s unclear what effect the change will have on Russia’s ability to wage war, but Russian military bloggers said troops were experiencing internet outages that hampered frontline communications.

A Ukrainian soldier preparing a Starlink satellite internet system in the Donetsk region in 2024. Russians have been evading export restrictions to smuggle in Starlink devices and send them to the front.

Elon Musk Merges SpaceX With His A.I. Start-Up xAI

NYT: Technology

By:Ryan Mac · Kate Conger · Maureen Farrell and Rob Copeland

2 February 2026 at 21:22

The deal further intermingles Mr. Musk’s companies and creates the most valuable private company on earth.

SpaceX’s rocket facility in Boca Chica, Texas.

Tesla’s Model S, Soon to Be History, Changed the Auto Industry

NYT: Technology

By:Neal E. Boudette

30 January 2026 at 10:52

The company’s chief executive, Elon Musk, said this week that it would stop making the car, an electric pioneer in 2012, as well as the Model X.

“The Model S was a breakthrough and ushered in quite a number of technologies people hadn’t seen before,” said Sam Abuelsamid, an executive at Telemetry, a Detroit communications and research firm.

Tech Grapples With ICE + Casey Tries Clawdbot, a Risky New A.I. Assistant + HatGPT

NYT: Technology

By:Kevin Roose · Casey Newton · Rachel Cohn · Whitney Jones · Vjeran Pavic · Chris Wood · Dan Powell · Elisheba Ittoop and Rowan Niemisto

30 January 2026 at 07:00

In Minneapolis, it has become a battle of phone versus phone.

Tesla Profit Slumps, but Investors May Not Care

NYT: Technology

By:Jack Ewing

29 January 2026 at 15:21

The automaker also said it would invest $2 billion in xAI, the artificial intelligence company controlled by its C.E.O., Elon Musk, and stop making the two oldest models in its lineup.

Falling car sales have taken a toll on Tesla’s net profit. The company announced Wednesday that it would stop producing its S and X model cars within months.

G.M. Shares Rise as Investors Are Encouraged by 2026 Prospects

NYT: Technology

By:Neal E. Boudette

27 January 2026 at 10:22

The automaker said that it would buy back stock worth up to $6 billion and that it expected profit to rise this year after it pulled back from electric vehicle production.

A General Motors factory in Spring Hill, Tenn. G.M. said on Tuesday it planned to introduce a more advanced version of its Super Cruise driver assistance system in 2028.

As Tech Chiefs Woo Trump, Silicon Valley Seethes Over Minneapolis Shootings

NYT: Technology

By:Mike Isaac and Natallie Rocha

27 January 2026 at 10:28

Executives, investors and engineers are speaking out against the Trump administration after the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in moves reminiscent of Silicon Valley a decade ago.

Federal agents confronting protesters in Minneapolis last week.

Elon Musk’s X Faces EU Inquiry Over Sexualized AI Images Generated by Grok

NYT: Technology

By:Adam Satariano

26 January 2026 at 09:16

Regulators said the company’s lack of controls had led to the widespread use of deepfakes created with the chatbot Grok.

The investigation is likely to escalate a confrontation between Europe and the United States over the regulation of online content.

The Drama at Thinking Machines, a New A.I. Start-Up, Is Riveting Silicon Valley

NYT: Technology

By:Cade Metz · Kalley Huang and Mike Isaac

22 January 2026 at 11:59

Defections, secret conversations, deal talks that fizzled and a battle for control: The turmoil at Thinking Machines Lab is the artificial intelligence industry’s latest drama.

Ms. Murati with Mr. Altman and two other OpenAI colleagues in 2023. She co-founded Thinking Labs a year ago.

Elon Musk’s Grok A.I. Chatbot Made Millions of Sexualized Images, New Estimates Show

NYT: Technology

By:Kate Conger · Dylan Freedman and Stuart A. Thompson

22 January 2026 at 05:00

Over nine days, Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot generated and posted 4.4 million images, of which at least 41 percent were sexualized images of women.

The Grok chatbot was created by Elon Musk’s xAI start-up.

Elon Musk Spends $10 Million to Help Nate Morris in Kentucky Senate Race

NYT: Technology

By:Theodore Schleifer

19 January 2026 at 11:50

Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, backed Nate Morris, a Republican businessman, in the primary race to succeed Senator Mitch McConnell in Kentucky.

Elon Musk at the Kennedy Center in November. After his falling out with President Trump last year, he has inched back toward the Republican fold.

How Activists in Iran Are Using Starlink to Stay Online

NYT: Technology

By:Adam Satariano · Paul Mozur and Sheera Frenkel

16 January 2026 at 07:24

Activists spent years preparing for a communications blackout in Iran, smuggling in Starlink satellite internet systems and making digital shutdowns harder for the authorities to enforce.

A Starlink receiver atop a house in Kurdistan, Iran, in 2023. About 50,000 Starlink terminals are now in the country, according to digital activists.

Elon Musk’s X Restricts Ability to Create Explicit Images With Grok

NYT: Technology

By:Ali Watkins

15 January 2026 at 09:42

Bowing to pressure, the company said it would restrict X users from generating explicit images of real people in jurisdictions where such content is illegal.

The prompt page for Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot made by Elon Musk’s xAI.

2026 May Be the Year of the Mega I.P.O.

NYT: Technology

By:Erin Griffith and Lauren Hirsch

14 January 2026 at 14:55

If SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic go public, they will unleash gushers of cash for Silicon Valley and Wall Street.

California Investigates Elon Musk’s xAI Over Sexualized Images Generated by Grok

NYT: Technology

By:Kate Conger

15 January 2026 at 00:06

The state will examine whether xAI, which owns the social media platform X and created the A.I. chatbot Grok, violated state law.

Grok’s prompt page is displayed on a phone.

Starlink Users in Iran Get Free Internet Access, Nonprofits Say

NYT: Technology

By:Natallie Rocha

13 January 2026 at 23:40

Under a near-total communications blackout, users of Elon Musk’s satellite service have gotten online without paying, organizations that work on tech issues said.

The Iranian government has cracked down on protests like this one in Tehran last week with a communications blockade.

Elon Musk’s X Under UK Investigation Over Grok’s Sexualized A.I. Images

NYT: Technology

By:Adam Satariano

12 January 2026 at 17:25

A British regulator said it had started a formal investigation into Mr. Musk’s chatbot over the spread of illegal images.

Grok’s prompt page on a phone. In recent weeks, the chatbot has posted sexualized photos of real people, including children, in response to user prompts.

Grok, Elon Musk’s A.I., Is Generating Sexualized Images of Real People, Fueling Outrage

NYT: Technology

By:Kate Conger and Lizzie Dearden

9 January 2026 at 15:48

Late Thursday, Mr. Musk’s chatbot, Grok, limited requests for A.I.-generated images on X to paid subscribers of the social media site amid an outcry from victims and regulators.

Grok’s Undressing Scandal + Claude Code Capers + Casey Busts a Reddit Hoax

NYT: Technology

By:Kevin Roose · Casey Newton · Whitney Jones · Rachel Cohn · Vjeran Pavic · Katie McMurran · Dan Powell · Marion Lozano and Diane Wong

9 January 2026 at 11:47

“This is a story about how a tool can be used to try to affect politics and in particular to minimize women, denigrate them and push them out of the conversation.”

Elon Musk’s xAI Raises $20 Billion

NYT: Technology

By:Kate Conger

6 January 2026 at 16:43

The funding is part of an A.I. frenzy, as investors aggressively plow enormous sums into fast-growing start-ups at sky-high valuations.

China’s BYD Surpasses Tesla as World Leader in Electric Car Sales

NYT: Technology

By:Jack Ewing

2 January 2026 at 14:47

As the largest maker of electric vehicles in the United States, Tesla suffered more than other carmakers from the elimination of federal incentives.

Tesla’s decreasing sales suggest that a wider slump is in store for electric vehicles.

Before Electric Vehicles Became Political, There Was the Toyota Prius

NYT: Technology

By:Lawrence Ulrich

27 December 2025 at 05:00

The political polarization of battery-powered cars may have started when Toyota released its first hybrid model 25 years ago.

The marketing for the Toyota Prius may have inadvertently started the culture war around hybrid and electric vehicles by characterizing them as a way to save the planet, some experts say.

Tesla Robotaxis Are Big on Wall St. but Lagging on Roads

NYT: Technology

By:Jack Ewing

26 December 2025 at 09:35

Shares of Tesla have hit new highs on optimism about the company’s self-driving taxis. But experts say Tesla is far behind Waymo, which has a big head start.

U.S. Bars 5 European Tech Regulators and Researchers

NYT: Technology

By:Steven Lee Myers

23 December 2025 at 20:34

The Trump administration, citing “foreign censorship,” imposed travel bans on experts involved in monitoring major tech platforms.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement that five Europeans “have led organized efforts to coerce American platforms to censor, demonetize and suppress American viewpoints they oppose.”

Sleep Cots and Graham Crackers at Elon Musk’s Child Care Program

NYT: Technology

By:Kirsten Grind and Sheera Frenkel

18 December 2025 at 05:01

Mr. Musk has ambitions to remake education, but his latest effort to open an elementary school in Texas appears to have faltered.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX Valued at $800 Billion, as It Prepares to Go Public

NYT: Technology

By:Ryan Mac

12 December 2025 at 19:55

A sale of insider shares at $421 a share would make Mr. Musk’s rocket company the most valuable private company in the world, as it readies for a possible initial public offering next year.

The SpaceX launchpad in South Texas in June 2024. The company said in a letter to employees on Friday that it could go public in 2026.

Elon Musk Tests Europe’s Willingness to Enforce Its Online Laws

NYT: Technology

By:Adam Satariano and Kate Conger

12 December 2025 at 14:39

Backed by White House officials, the tech billionaire has lashed out at the European Union after his social media platform X was fined last week.

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