Weekend Tech Innovation Roundup February 10, 2024

He claims he only drove with the headset for 30-40 seconds while driving his Tesla.

“[I] was in the right place at the right time,” he said. “That’s why we filmed the police.” In other words, he filmed the cops on unrelated duties to make people believe he was arrested. - Jody Serrano / Gizmodo Read More

The CEO of Meta may seem like a mild-mannered man. He’s soft-spoken, the corners of his mouth often turn upwards into something resembling a smile, and he’s polite. But it’s all a disguise – Mark Zuckerberg lives life on the edge. Meta even said in its latest annual report that its CEO could die because of his dangerous lifestyle. - Maxwell Zeff / Gizmodo Read More

It has been not-so-secret Silicon Valley knowledge in recent years that Elon Musk frequently enjoys partaking in mind altering, hallucinogenic, and potentially dangerous drugs. A January Wall Street Journal piece voiced the concerns of investors and higher ups within Musk’s companies that his propensity to use drugs was affecting his ability to be an effective CEO. Following a Delaware court’s decision to block Musk’s compensation package based on the evidence that the Tesla board was engaging in cronyism, WSJ is back with another banger connecting those board members to Musk. These connections were often based around drug-fueled parties and flights. - Bradley Brownell / Jalopnik Read More

Palantir has long positioned itself as a leader in technologies that will define the modern battlefield. The contours of that battlefield are now coming more clearly into view, says Alexander Karp, CEO of the data analytics company. - Mary Hui Read More

Tesla sold only one car this January in South Korea, according to new data, as consumers there remain concerned with inflation and Elon Musk’s EV company continues to deal with a lack of chargers in the country. - Bruce Gil Read More

Plenty of people have their gripes with electric vehicle ownership. Truck people don’t think they’re powerful enough. People who live in cold climates complain that they can’t handle winter weather. Tesla owners wonder which recall is coming next. Hertz, on the other hand, is worried about what happens when they’re done owning electric vehicles. - Melvin Backman Read More

California-based KoBold Metals announced Monday (Feb. 5) that it has found an expansive copper deposit in Zambia. Backed by a group of billionaires including Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, the mining startup uses artificial intelligence to discover critical minerals needed for the energy transition. The company told Quartz that the site will be “one of the world’s biggest, high-grade large copper mines.” - Bruce Gil Read More

In the last three months of Dec. 2023, Palantir, a data management software company, which caters to military and intelligence agencies as well as global corporations, generated revenue of $608 million, up 9% from the same period last year. The company had hit another record profit in the fourth quarter, the most profitable in the company’s two-decade history. - Michelle Cheng Read More

For a look at the future of the cryptocurrency, Quartz talks with Coindesk’s Andy Baehr

Spotify stock jumped more than 7% during pre-market trading Tuesday, following the company’s announcement that it added a record 31 million premium subscribers last year. - Bruce Gil Read More