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Scientists led by Endawoke Yizengaw at The Aerospace Corporation analyzed data from the intense November 2025 solar storm and found unprecedented, coast-to-coast atmospheric disturbances across the continental United States. These disturbances pushed GPS positioning errors past 10 meters in some regions, a scale of disruption not previously documented.
Uber has begun offering self-driving rides in London through a partnership with British AV startup Wayve, using electric Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles equipped with cameras and radar. A human safety operator will remain behind the wheel for now, and the companies plan to extend the service to Nissan Leaf vehicles in Tokyo later this year.
Uber is eliminating more than 3,000 positions worldwide, about 10% of its staff, returning headcount to roughly 2021 levels near 30,000 employees. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said the company had grown too many management layers and small teams, slowing decisions, and the cuts will consolidate teams while freeing funds for priority areas like autonomous vehicles and delivery.
Uber is cutting about 10 percent of its roughly 34,000-person workforce as part of a reorganization that removes management layers and merges overlapping teams. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told staff the changes aim to reduce coordination overhead and speed up decision-making, while consolidating global teams primarily in New York and San Francisco. The company is also requiring most remote workers to relocate to an office and enforcing its three-day-a-week hybrid policy.
Uber announced it will reduce its workforce by 10%, aiming to eliminate layers of management and cut costs. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told employees the restructuring will simplify operations and free up resources to invest in areas like autonomous vehicles, where Uber has pledged over $10 billion. The company, which had roughly 34,000 employees at the end of 2025, did not disclose exact job-cut figures but confirmed shares rose nearly 2% following the announcement.
Tesla plans to formally introduce its steering-wheel-free Cybercab at an Austin event, adding 51 of the vehicles to its Texas ride-hail fleet alongside 263 Model Ys. The vehicle debuted as a prototype in 2024, and Tesla's driverless pilot has since expanded from Austin to parts of Texas and Florida, with permits pending in Arizona and Nevada.
Waymo published a blog post and gave interviews arguing that fully autonomous driving requires multiple sensor types, not just cameras and end-to-end AI, in an implicit critique of Tesla's approach. The move came a week before Tesla's planned September 3 event to unveil its Cybercab robotaxi, and coincided with Waymo announcing three new markets for its own service. The comments sparked a heated weekend debate on social media between Waymo's spokesperson and Tesla-aligned analysts.
Researchers analyzing last November's severe geomagnetic storm found it caused GPS positioning errors exceeding 33 feet across the continental US. The disturbance pushed the Aurora Oval far south of its usual position, creating dense atmospheric irregularities that disrupted the timing of satellite signals passing through the ionosphere.
JD Power surveyed over 68,000 owners of 2026 model-year vehicles about 40 different automotive technologies and found that features requiring the least driver attention, such as smart ignition and AI-controlled HVAC systems, earned the highest satisfaction scores. Passenger-facing dashboard screens, often found in luxury brands like Mercedes, BMW, and Porsche, ranked among the least liked features.
TechCrunch reporting found OSHA filings showing more than two dozen injuries among Waymo and Zoox test drivers in 2024 and 2025, many caused by hard braking or abrupt maneuvers of the autonomous vehicles. Some workers suffered whiplash and other injuries that kept them off the job for months.
OSHA disclosures reviewed by TechCrunch show test drivers for Waymo and Zoox suffered sprains, strains and whiplash when autonomous software braked hard or swerved suddenly, with 16 injuries linked to Waymo depots via contractor Transdev and up to eight tied to Zoox. Some workers were out for weeks or months, and current and former Zoox contractors say abrupt braking incidents are still occurring.
Waymo announced plans to bring its driverless ride-hailing service to Munich, months after establishing a German entity. The company will first manually map the city's streets, then test vehicles with safety drivers before removing them, following the same rollout process used in its 11 other operating cities. Waymo is coordinating with Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority and local officials, targeting public commercial service by the end of 2027.