Uber appointed Balaji Krishnamurthy as its new Chief Financial Officer, replacing Prashanth Mahendra-Rajah, according to TechCrunch. The move signals a potential acceleration of Uber's autonomous vehicle (AV) plans, as Krishnamurthy previously served as VP of strategic finance and investor relations and holds a board seat at AV company Waabi.
Krishnamurthy has been with Uber for over six years, primarily in investor relations. His appointment suggests a strategic shift towards expanding driverless investments and operations. On Wednesday's Q4 earnings call, Krishnamurthy stated Uber's intention to invest capital in its AV software partners, collaborate with AV makers through equity investments or offtake agreements, and support AV infrastructure partners, according to TechCrunch.
Meanwhile, in Kyiv, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte made an unannounced visit on February 3 as Russia launched a major missile and drone assault across Ukraine, Euronews reported. Rutte visited a damaged energy site in Kyiv after Russian strikes on homes and infrastructure, as the city endured temperatures of minus 25 degrees Celsius. The plant supplies heat to thousands of residents. During the visit, Rutte met with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and stressed the urgent need for air defense support for Ukraine. Prime Minister Shmyhal emphasized the need to better protect power and heating networks and called for faster deliveries of air defense systems, according to Euronews.
In the realm of entertainment, Apple TV released a full trailer for the second season of "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters," a part of Legendary Entertainment's MonsterVerse, Ars Technica reported. The trailer reveals a gigantic tentacled undersea being dubbed Titan X, which Kong and Godzilla must stop. The first season picked up where the 2014 film "Godzilla" left off, specifically the introduction of Project Monarch.
Separately, MIT Technology Review highlighted the increasing demand for metals like nickel, copper, and rare earth elements due to the growth of data centers, electric cars, and renewable energy projects. The review noted that producing these metals is becoming harder and more expensive as miners have already exploited the best resources. Biotechnology, specifically microbes, could be used to extract metal needed for cleantech. The Eagle Mine in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the only active nickel mine in the US, is nearing the end of its life, with nickel concentration falling too low to warrant digging.
MIT Technology Review also discussed the future of nuclear power plants in relation to the energy demands of AI. Next-generation nuclear power plants could be a potential source of electricity for massive data centers, offering a potentially cheaper and safer alternative to older plants. The publication held a subscriber-exclusive roundtable discussion on hyperscale AI data centers and next-gen nuclear power, both featured technologies on the MIT Technology Review 10 Breakthrough Technologies of 2026 list.
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