News
‘Deceptive’ LA Times Article Stuns Elon Musk
Media companies have been going through continuous upheaval for the last 10 years, as newspapers and magazines find ways to provide online value to readers and advertisers. No real context or value was provided recently via the LA Times on Elon Musk’s empire.
To paraphrase Elon Musk, he thought the article was very misleading and context was slim as the piece provides a picture of heavy government dependence on subsidies for his three companies.
Here’s an example of Hirsch’s context on the initial seed money to start SpaceX:
Hirsh: Musk and his investors have also put large sums of private capital into the companies.
Large sums, seriously? You write for the LA Times, not TMZ.
If you read the piece, the LA Times article is full of facts and exact money figures of government credits and subsidies that has helped Elon Musk’s three companies over the last 13 years.
So how can you not include that Elon Musk provided up to $100 million dollars of his own money to start SpaceX –and more later– and somewhere around $19 million, approximately, with two investment rounds for Tesla Motors when the electric carmaker was working out of a garage in Palo Alto.
This screed was something like 1500 words, he had some room for other figures but chose to leave them out.
So as the article talks about his empire, Hirsch provides no real context to the industries tied to Musk’s companies. One of SpaceX’s competitors is Boeing and the little company out of Seattle, Wash. has received a LOT of government incentives and subsidies, but no facts or figures from Hirsch.
In early 2000s, this is what Boeing received from Washington state as it played hardball on a new plant (from Good Jobs First, citations at the link’s bottom):
Governor Gary Locke got his way, and Boeing ended up with a package of research & development tax credits and cuts in Business & Occupation taxes (the state’s substitute for a corporate income tax), sales taxes and property taxes that together were estimated to be worth $3.2 billion over 20 years.
Or, in 2014, German carmaker Volkswagen received $230 million from Tennessee to help fund a $600 million plant expansion in Chattanooga, expected to create 2,000 jobs. Tesla expects the gigafactory to produce 5,000 jobs when fully operational, in comparison.
Musk spoke to CNBC yesterday and touched on many topics, but he made sure to point out the biggest welfare queen (king?).
“The incentives that Tesla and Solar City are tiny, compared to what the Oil and Gas industry receives every year,” Musk said. “If you add up all the past and future, it’s a drop in the bucket compared to what the oil and gas industry gets every year.”
Hirsch couldn’t find room for the the oil and gas industry’s subsidies from the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which gave the industry $1.9 billion a year in subsidies, 2014 dollars.
In California, Musk also mentioned to CNBC that the California zero emission vehicle credits program started twenty years ago when Musk’s empire was a dorm room in Canada.
You could expect a two-dimensional article post from SeekingAlpha, but not the LA Times. Hirsch seems guilty of missing badly on context and having a narrative with no “Opinion” label anywhere.
Food for thought:
Fossil fuels subsidised by $10m a minute, says IMF http://t.co/c4nsZjXc32
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 19, 2015
News
Elon Musk’s Grokipedia surges to 5.6M articles, almost 79% of English Wikipedia
The explosive growth marks a major milestone for the AI-powered online encyclopedia, which was launched by Elon Musk’s xAI just months ago.
Elon Musk’s Grokipedia has grown to an impressive 5,615,201 articles as of today, closing in on 79% of the English Wikipedia’s current total of 7,119,376 articles.
The explosive growth marks a major milestone for the AI-powered online encyclopedia, which was launched by Elon Musk’s xAI just months ago. Needless to say, it would only be a matter of time before Grokipedia exceeds English Wikipedia in sheer volume.
Grokipedia’s rapid growth
xAI’s vision for Grokipedia emphasizes neutrality, while Grok’s reasoning capabilities allow for fast drafting and fact-checking. When Elon Musk announced the initiative in late September 2025, he noted that Grokipedia would be an improvement to Wikipedia because it would be designed to avoid bias.
At the time, Musk noted that Grokipedia “is a necessary step towards the xAI goal of understanding the Universe.”
Grokipedia was launched in late October, and while xAI was careful to list it only as Version 0.1 at the time, the online encyclopedia immediately earned praise. Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger highlighted the project’s innovative approach, noting how it leverages AI to fill knowledge gaps and enable rapid updates. Netizens also observed how Grokipedia tends to present articles in a more objective manner compared to Wikipedia, which is edited by humans.
Elon Musk’s ambitious plans
With 5,615,201 total articles, Grokipedia has now grown to almost 79% of English Wikipedia’s article base. This is incredibly quick, though Grokipedia remains text-only for now. xAI, for its part, has now updated the online encyclopedia’s iteration to v0.2.
Elon Musk has shared bold ideas for Grokipedia, including sending a record of the entire knowledge base to space as part of xAI’s mission to preserve and expand human understanding. At some point, Musk stated that Grokipedia will be renamed to Encyclopedia Galactica, and it will be sent to the cosmos.
“When Grokipedia is good enough (long way to go), we will change the name to Encyclopedia Galactica. It will be an open source distillation of all knowledge, including audio, images and video. Join xAI to help build the sci-fi version of the Library of Alexandria!” Musk wrote, adding in a later post that “Copies will be etched in stone and sent to the Moon, Mars and beyond. This time, it will not be lost.”
News
Tesla Model 3 becomes Netherlands’ best-selling used EV in 2025
More than one in ten second-hand electric cars sold in the country last year was a Tesla Model 3.
The Tesla Model 3 became the most popular used electric car in the Netherlands in 2025, cementing its dominance well beyond the country’s new-car market.
After years at the top of Dutch EV sales charts, the Model 3 now leads the country’s second-hand EV market by a wide margin, as record used-car purchases pushed electric vehicles further into the mainstream.
Model 3 takes a commanding lead
The Netherlands recorded more than 2.1 million used car sales last year, the highest level on record. Of those, roughly 4.8%, or about 102,000 vehicles, were electric. Within that growing segment, the Tesla Model 3 stood far ahead of its competitors.
In 2025 alone, 11,338 used Model 3s changed hands, giving the car an 11.1% share of the country’s entire used EV market. That means more than one in ten second-hand electric cars sold in the country last year was a Tesla Model 3, Auto Week Netherlands reported. The scale of its lead is striking: the gap between the Model 3 and the second-place finisher, the Volkswagen ID3, is more than 6,700 vehicles.
Rivals trail as residual values shape rankings
The Volkswagen ID.3 ranked a distant second, with 4,595 used units sold and a 4.5% market share. Close behind was the Audi e-tron, which placed third with 4,236 registrations. As noted by Auto Week Netherlands, relatively low residual values likely boosted the e-tron’s appeal in the used market, despite its higher original price.
Other strong performers included the Kia Niro, the Tesla Model Y, and the Hyundai Kona, highlighting continued demand for compact and midsize electric vehicles with proven range and reliability. No other model, however, came close to matching the Model 3’s scale or market presence.
News
Tesla Model Y Standard Long Range RWD launches in Europe
The update was announced by Tesla Europe & Middle East in a post on its official social media account on X.
Tesla has expanded the Model Y lineup in Europe with the introduction of the Standard Long Range RWD variant, which offers an impressive 657 km of WLTP range.
The update was announced by Tesla Europe & Middle East in a post on its official social media account on X.
Model Y Standard Long Range RWD Details
Tesla Europe & Middle East highlighted some of the Model Y Standard Long Range RWD’s most notable specs, from its 657 km of WLTP range to its 2,118 liters of cargo volume. More importantly, Tesla also noted that the newly released variant only consumes 12.7 kWh per 100 km, making it the most efficient Model Y to date.
The Model Y Standard provides a lower entry point for consumers who wish to enter the Tesla ecosystem at the lowest possible price. While the Model 3 Standard is still more affordable, some consumers might prefer the Model Y Standard due to its larger size and crossover form factor. The fact that the Model Y Standard is equipped with Tesla’s AI4 computer also makes it ready for FSD’s eventual rollout to the region.
Top Gear’s Model Y Standard review
Top Gear‘s recent review of the Tesla Model Y Standard highlighted some of the vehicle’s most notable features, such as its impressive real-world range, stellar infotainment system, and spacious interior. As per the publication, the Model Y Standard still retains a lot of what makes Tesla’s vehicles well-rounded, even if it’s been equipped with a simplified interior.
Top Gear compared the Model Y Standard to its rivals in the same segment. “The introduction of the Standard trim brings the Model Y in line with the entry price of most of its closest competition. In fact, it’s actually cheaper than a Peugeot e-3008 and costs £5k less than an entry-level Audi Q4 e-tron. It also makes the Ford Mustang Mach-E look a little short with its higher entry price and worse range,” the publication wrote.
Elon Musk’s Grokipedia surges to 5.6M articles, almost 79% of English Wikipedia
Tesla Model 3 becomes Netherlands’ best-selling used EV in 2025
