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Tech News
Tesla has reopened reservations for its long-delayed Roadster, requiring a $5,000 refundable deposit followed by an additional $45,000 wire transfer within 10 days. The company plans to unveil the car's pricing, specifications and production timeline at an event near Waco, Texas on October 1, having first taken $50,000 deposits for the same car back in 2017.
Tesla has published emergency-response guidance instructing firefighters to contact two separate company support lines if they need to deal with a Cybataxi accident or need to move the vehicle. Because the Cybercab has no steering wheel or pedals, responders must first call support to gain control before accessing virtual onboard controls via the car's touchscreen. Tesla has added a QR code to the windshield's lower left corner as a reference guide for these procedures.
A startup founder describes abandoning the popular tech-industry belief that extreme overwork—citing examples like Elon Musk and Marissa Mayer—signals dedication and predicts success. After personally working 18-hour days while skipping meals and sleep, the founder concluded this approach was unsustainable and shifted toward building a company culture designed for long-term thriving rather than constant survival mode.
After executives at Anthropic, OpenAI and xAI publicly urged caution on AI development this summer, commentators including Steven Vaughan-Nichols and Corey Doctorow suggest the motives aren't purely about safety. They point to mounting financial pressure on companies that haven't proven their massive data-center spending will pay off, plus incentives to slow smaller rivals or cut R&D costs.
WIRED's Women issue features actor and comedian Patti Harrison portraying Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Dario Amodei, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos in a satirical cover shoot commenting on Silicon Valley's male-dominated leadership. In an accompanying interview, Harrison discusses the concept, her comedic approach, and her own strained relationship with tech platforms after leaving Twitter.
Elon Musk said his tunneling company, The Boring Company, is developing an early-stage Hyperloop concept meant to cut travel time between Austin and San Antonio to under 30 minutes. The company's official account confirmed interest in building the project, though Musk's comment originated as a reply to an AI-generated sci-fi video rather than a formal announcement.
Elon Musk called this week for AI labs to test each other's models to catch safety issues before release, positioning this as an alternative to heavy government regulation. His stance contrasted with President Trump and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who dismissed AI risk fears as a 'hoax' and urged faster development, even as reports emerged that Musk privately joined Huang and Mark Zuckerberg in advising Trump against an industry-funded AI regulator.
According to a JPMorgan note cited by Semi Doped, ASML has no plans to adopt free-electron laser (FEL) technology for extreme ultraviolet lithography, despite backing from Elon Musk for that approach. Instead, ASML is continuing to refine its existing laser-produced plasma (LPP) method, aiming to boost source power from around 500W to 1,000W and nearly double the rate of tin droplet generation to 100,000 per second.
WIRED is hosting a subscriber-only livestream on September 24 examining the state of women in Silicon Valley amid a broader backlash against DEI initiatives. The panel, featuring Sandra Upson, Lauren Goode, and Ej Dickson, will address reader-submitted questions about gender dynamics in tech workplaces. WIRED is soliciting questions via its comment section ahead of the event.
A rider in Austin used Tesla's newly launched Cybercab robotaxi service and documented on X how the vehicle became stuck navigating out of his hotel's parking lot due to a construction closure in one lane. Unable to detect the alternate open lane, the car reportedly shuttled back and forth four times before halting and declaring the trip complete, leaving the passenger back where he started.
Valor Equity Partners, the venture firm led by SpaceX board member Antonio Gracias, has transferred about 8.5% of its SpaceX stake—roughly $8.5 billion worth—directly to its limited partners rather than selling shares and returning cash. An SEC filing shows Valor retains more than 460 million shares after the distribution.
Federal Judge Mark Pittman is demanding X and SpaceX's AI unit turn over any agreement that led them to voluntarily drop antitrust claims against Apple, while continuing their suit against OpenAI. The original lawsuit alleged Apple and OpenAI colluded to suppress rival AI apps on the App Store after agreeing to integrate ChatGPT into Siri. OpenAI filed an emergency motion pushing for disclosure of the settlement terms, and Pittman has given the companies until noon on September 17 to respond.