Elon Musk's various ventures were in the news recently, with developments concerning SpaceX, Starlink, and Tesla. Ukraine praised Musk for restricting Russian use of Starlink, while China banned hidden door handles, a design popularized by Tesla, due to safety concerns. Additionally, SpaceX confirmed it was taking over Musk's AI startup, xAI.
Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's defense minister, lauded Musk as "a true champion of freedom and a true friend of the Ukrainian people," after Musk took steps to prevent Russia from using Starlink satellites for drone attacks. These drones had been linked to deadly attacks, including one on a passenger train that killed six people. Musk stated on X, "Looks like the steps we took to stop the unauthorised use of Starlink by Russia have worked."
In other news, China banned hidden door handles on electric vehicles (EVs), becoming the first country to do so. The decision followed scrutiny of EV safety after fatal crashes in China involving Xiaomi EVs, where power failures were suspected of preventing doors from opening, according to BBC sources. The new regulations require cars to have a mechanical release both inside and outside the doors.
SpaceX also confirmed its acquisition of xAI, the AI startup known for its Grok chatbot. According to a memo from Musk posted on the SpaceX website, the combination would create an "innovation engine" integrating AI, rockets, space-based internet, and media. A source familiar with the deal said it valued xAI at $125 billion and SpaceX at $1 trillion, potentially making SpaceX the most valuable private company ever.
Adding to the developments in the AI space, a new social media network called Moltbook, designed for AI rather than humans, has emerged. Launched in late January by Matt Schlicht, head of commerce platform Octane AI, Moltbook allows AI to post, comment, and create communities. While humans are welcome to observe, they cannot participate in posting.
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