Company sues after coastal commission cited CEO’s spread of misinformation on X in rejecting company’s proposal Elon Musk’s SpaceX has sued a California commission in federal court, accusing it of political bias in its decision to block the space venture company from increasing the number of rockets it launches from a US airbase in the state. The commission cited Musk’s penchant for spreading misinformation on his social network Twitter/X in a meeting where commissioners rejected the company’s proposal. SpaceX sued the California coastal commission on Tuesday in Los Angeles, seeking an order that would bar the agency from regulating the company’s workhorse Falcon 9 rocket launch program at Vandenberg space force base in Santa Barbara. Continue reading...

Plus: art on Samsung TVs, babies’ faces online, and the iPhone 16 Pro reviewed • Don’t get TechScape delivered to your inbox? Sign up here Hello, and welcome to TechScape. I’m Blake Montgomery, technology news editor at the Guardian US. Thank you for joining me. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Josh Simons, close ally of Starmer, suggests Musk manipulates platform’s algorithm to boost his own interests Westminster needs to wean itself off X, a close ally of Keir Starmer has said, as he suggested that Elon Musk was deliberately manipulating its algorithm to boost his own political and personal interests. Josh Simons, the MP for Makerfield and former head of the Starmerite thinktank Labour Together, said he believed the British political class was dangerously addicted to the platform, formerly known as Twitter. Simons maintains an active X profile, but says he is keen not to “overuse” it. Continue reading...

Analysts criticise lack of detail about the ‘robotaxi’ showcased by CEO Elon Musk * Elon Musk unveils Tesla Cybercab self-driving robotaxi Tesla shares fell nearly 9% on Friday, wiping about $60bn (£45bn) from the company’s value, after the long-awaited unveiling of its so-called robotaxi failed to excite investors. Shares in the electric carmaker tumbled to $217 at market close following an event in Hollywood, where the chief executive, Elon Musk, revealed a much-hyped driverless vehicle. The stock price is down roughly 12% year-to-date. Continue reading...

Billionaire says autonomous car expected ‘before 2027’ will have a pricetag of less than US$30,000, with a ‘Robovan’ that can carry 20 people to follow Tesla CEO Elon Musk has unveiled the company’s robotaxi, Cybercab, promising it will cost less than US$30,000, and announced plans to bring autonomous driving to its Model 3 and Model Y cars in California and Texas by next year. At the much-anticipated We, Robot event hosted at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California, the billionaire arrived in the Cybercab in his trademark black leather jacket, accompanied by a man dressed in a space suit. Human-like robots mingled in the crowd, danced and served drinks to those gathered for the party. Continue reading...

Social platform was blocked after tech billionaire failed to name local representatives and pay fines Brazilians are set to regain access to X after a supreme court judge lifted a ban introduced nearly six weeks ago as a result of Elon Musk’s failure to comply with the South American country’s laws. X was blocked in Brazil, where it had more than 22 million users, at the end of August in what was the culmination of a months-long arm wrestle between the network’s billionaire owner and the Brazilian supreme court. Continue reading...

EV maker delivered 462,890 vehicles in three months to 30 September while Wall street expected on average 469,828 Tesla missed expectations for third-quarter deliveries on Wednesday, hurt by stiff competition from rivals in China and Europe, sending shares of the world’s most valuable automaker down 3%. The electric vehicles maker handed over 462,890 vehicles in the three months to 30 September up 6.4% from the preceding quarter. Continue reading...

X owner responds by saying people should avoid UK when ‘they’re releasing convicted pedophiles’ Elon Musk has hit back at the UK government after he was not invited to an international investment summit following his controversial social media posts during last month’s riots. Musk said on X on Thursday: “I don’t think anyone should go to the UK when they’re releasing convicted pedophiles in order to imprison people for social media posts.” Continue reading...

Co-founder of expert group says ‘unchecked power of these entities poses grave risk’ to news environment Social media owners, politicians and governments are the biggest threats to a trustworthy online news environment, according to an expert group studying misinformation whose work is modelled on the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The International Panel on the Information Environment (IPIE) said owners of social media platforms topped a survey of concerns, followed by domestic and foreign governments and politicians. Continue reading...

The platform agrees to appoint a legal representative in Brazil, pays fines and takes down user accounts that the court had ordered removed Elon Musk fought the law. The law appears to have won. X, Musk’s social media platform, has backed down in its fight with the Brazilian judiciary, after complying with court orders that had blocked users in the country from accessing X. Continue reading...