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Ford welcomes Tesla’s Pickup Truck: ‘We don’t take any of our competitors for granted’
The United States’ emerging all-electric pickup truck market is getting more interesting. Right after demonstrating the mammoth towing capabilities of its electric F-150 pickup, Ford stated that it is confident that it will maintain its lead in the US truck market despite the arrival of competitors from other, more aggressive companies. This includes Tesla, which is expected to unveil its own battery-electric pickup later this year.
The statements were related by Ford Chief Product Development Officer Hau Thai-Tang during a segment of Yahoo Finance’s The First Trade. While speaking about the electric F-150’s impressive 1-million-pound towing demonstration, the Ford exec was asked if he views Tesla as a credible competitor. Thai-Tang was clear on Ford’s stance, expressing the carmaker’s confidence in the pickup truck segment.
“We wanna focus on the Ford plan. We have dominated this segment; it’s the best-selling truck for 42 years. We think combining Built Ford Tough with electrification exemplifies all of those attributes customers love. We want to build on the leadership we have had,” he said.
The Ford exec also reminded the show’s hosts that the pickup truck market is a very competitive segment, and it is one that Ford has dominated for years. Thai-Tang also emphasized that Ford welcomes any competition, and that it has great respect for rival companies preparing to enter the electric pickup market. The executive further noted that amidst the arrival of competitors, Ford would be focusing on its core strengths.
“The pickup truck business is very competitive. Ford has dominated it. It’s a huge profit driver for us, and we want to maintain that leadership and continue to build a moat around that store. We don’t take any of our competitors for granted; we have a lot of respect for all of them — we just want to focus on doing what we do well,” he said.
The Ford Chief Product Development Officer’s comments bode well for the emerging electric pickup truck market. The segment is massive, as evidenced by the F-150 being one of the pillars of Ford’s business today. As such, it is encouraging to see a veteran such as Ford welcoming the competition from rivals. Instead of taking aim at upstart companies like Tesla, the Detroit-based automaker seems to be focused on simply doing what it does best.
If there is something that seems to need improvement, it is Ford’s timeframe for its impressive all-electric F-150. The exec noted that a hybrid version of the F-150 will be released on the market in 2020, though he stated that a battery-electric version is still a “couple of years out.” This is a shame, as the all-electric prototype utilized in its recent 1-million-pound towing demonstration already seemed to be quite refined. Considering the interest and positive reception received by the electric F-150, Ford might end up miscalculating its strategy by not expediting the vehicle’s release.
Tesla, for its part, is preparing to release a pickup truck that Elon Musk describes as a “cyberpunk” vehicle, one that will not look out of place in the Blade Runner franchise. Musk has expressed his enthusiasm for the Tesla Pickup Truck, even noting that it is a vehicle he is most excited about. Tesla’s pickup will be competitive in price as well, with Musk stating that the truck will start at $49,000 at most.
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Tesla hasn’t adopted Apple CarPlay yet for this shocking reason
Many Apple and iPhone users have wanted the addition, especially to utilize third-party Navigation apps like Waze, which is a popular alternative. Getting apps outside of Tesla’s Navigation to work with its Full Self-Driving suite seems to be a potential issue the company will have to work through as well.
Perhaps one of the most requested features for Tesla vehicles by owners is the addition of Apple CarPlay. It sounds like the company wants to bring the popular UI to its cars, but there are a few bottlenecks preventing it from doing so.
The biggest reason why CarPlay has not made its way to Teslas yet might shock you.
According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, Tesla is still working on bringing CarPlay to its vehicles. There are two primary reasons why Tesla has not done it quite yet: App compatibility issues and, most importantly, there are incredibly low adoption rates of iOS 26.
Tesla’s Apple CarPlay ambitions are not dead, they’re still in the works
iOS 26 is Apple’s most recent software version, which was released back in September 2025. It introduced a major redesign to the overall operating system, especially its aesthetic, with the rollout of “Liquid Glass.”
However, despite the many changes and updates, Apple users have not been too keen on the iOS 26 update, and the low adoption rates have been a major sticking point for Tesla as it looks to develop a potential alternative for its in-house UI.
It was first rumored that Tesla was planning to bring CarPlay out in its cars late last year. Many Apple and iPhone users have wanted the addition, especially to utilize third-party Navigation apps like Waze, which is a popular alternative. Getting apps outside of Tesla’s Navigation to work with its Full Self-Driving suite seems to be a potential issue the company will have to work through as well.
According to the report, Tesla asked Apple to make some changes to improve compatibility between its software and Apple Maps:
“Tesla asked Apple to make engineering changes to Maps to improve compatibility. The iPhone maker agreed and implemented the adjustments in a bug fix update to iOS 26 and the latest version of CarPlay.”
Gurman also said that there were some issues with turn-by-turn guidance from Tesla’s maps app, and it did not properly sync up with Apple Maps during FSD operation. This is something that needs to be resolved before it is rolled out.
There is no listed launch date, nor has there been any coding revealed that would indicate Apple CarPlay is close to being launched within Tesla vehicles.
Elon Musk
Starlink restrictions are hitting Russian battlefield comms: report
The restrictions have reportedly disrupted Moscow’s drone coordination and frontline communications.
SpaceX’s decision to disable unauthorized Starlink terminals in Ukraine is now being felt on the battlefield, with Ukrainian commanders reporting that Russian troops have struggled to maintain assault operations without access to the satellite network.
The restrictions have reportedly disrupted Moscow’s drone coordination and frontline communications.
Lt. Denis Yaroslavsky, who commands a special reconnaissance unit, stated that Russian assault activity noticeably declined for several days after the shutdown. “For three to four days after the shutdown, they really reduced the assault operations,” Yaroslavsky said.
Russian units had allegedly obtained Starlink terminals through black market channels and mounted them on drones and weapons systems, despite service terms prohibiting offensive military use. Once those terminals were blocked, commanders on the Ukrainian side reported improved battlefield ratios, as noted in a New York Post report.
A Ukrainian unit commander stated that casualty imbalances widened after the cutoff. “On any given day, depending on your scale of analysis, my sector was already achieving 20:1 (casuality rate) before the shutdown, and we are an elite unit. Regular units have no problem going 5:1 or 8:1. With Starlink down, 13:1 (casualty rate) for a regular unit is easy,” the unit commander said.
The restrictions come as Russia faces heavy challenges across multiple fronts. A late January report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated that more than 1.2 million Russian troops have been killed, wounded, or gone missing since February 2022.
The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War also noted that activity from Russia’s Rubikon drone unit declined after Feb. 1, suggesting communications constraints from Starlink’s restrictions may be limiting operations. “I’m sure the Russians have (alternative options), but it takes time to maximize their implementation and this (would take) at least four to six months,” Yaroslavsky noted.
Elon Musk
Tesla Korea hiring AI Chip Engineers amid push for high-volume AI chips
Tesla Korea stated that it is seeking “talented individuals to join in developing the world’s highest-level mass-produced AI chips.”
In a recent post on X, Tesla Korea announced that it is hiring AI Chip Design Engineers as part of a project aimed at developing what the company describes as the world’s highest-volume AI chips. CEO Elon Musk later amplified the initiative.
Tesla Korea stated that it is seeking “talented individuals to join in developing the world’s highest-level mass-produced AI chips.”
“This project aims to develop AI chip architecture that will achieve the highest production volume in the world in the future,” Tesla Korea wrote in its post on X.
As per Tesla Korea, those who wish to apply for the AI Chip Design Engineer post should email Ai_Chips@Tesla.com and include “the three most challenging technical problems you have solved.”
Elon Musk echoed the hiring push in a separate post. “If you’re in Korea and want to work on chip design, fabrication or AI software, join Tesla!” he wrote.
The recruitment effort in South Korea comes as Tesla accelerates development of its in-house AI chips, which power its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system, Optimus humanoid robot, and data center training infrastructure.
Tesla has been steadily expanding its silicon development teams globally. In recent months, the company has posted roles in Austin and Palo Alto for silicon module process engineers across lithography, etching, and other chip fabrication disciplines, as noted in a Benzinga report.
Tesla Korea’s hiring efforts align with the company’s long-term goal of designing and producing AI chips at massive scale. Musk has previously stated that Tesla’s future AI chips could become the highest-volume AI processors in the world.
The move also comes amid Tesla’s broader expansion into AI initiatives. The company recently committed about $2 billion into xAI as part of a Series E funding round, reinforcing its focus on artificial intelligence across vehicles, robotics, and compute infrastructure.
Tesla hasn’t adopted Apple CarPlay yet for this shocking reason
Starlink restrictions are hitting Russian battlefield comms: report
