News
Lucid Air becomes world’s first vehicle to integrate Dolby Atmos in new partnership
The Lucid Air will be the first-ever vehicle to equip Dolby Atmos for a unique and state-of-the-art 21-speak Surreal Sound system.
Earlier today, Lucid revealed the developments, announcing a new partnership with Dolby, a legendary and top-of-the-line company offering some of the best sound system experiences since 1965. Dolby has primarily focused on audio noise reduction along with sound encoding and compression. These factors allow the company to offer sound products that are among the best in the market.
With Lucid’s introductory electric vehicle expected to hit the market later in 2021, the automaker is finalizing the finer details of its first production EV. Lucid is the first company ever to have automotive integration with Dolby Atmos. It offers owners “an immersive audio experience in the Lucid Air luxury EV that envelops listeners with the rich, multi-dimensional sound of Dolby Atmos.” The experience goes past putting a new spin on some of the classics that drivers listen to during a commute. The Dolby-integrated vehicle will also offer increased safety through enhanced driver aids that feature directional acoustic signaling of notifications, warnings, and all other driver and passenger alerts, the company said.
The Surreal Sound system will utilize acoustic signaling of notifications, indications, warnings, and all other audio emitted to alert the driver and passengers. The sounds will sound as if they are coming from the location of the passenger who they are directed toward. For example, if the rear driver’s side passenger is riding without a seatbelt, the warning signal will come from the direction of the unbuckled belt. Blindspot detection will also feature directionality indicators to help warn the driver of an incoming threat from a specific side of the car.
Credit: Lucid Motors
“As the first car to integrate Dolby Atmos, Lucid Air delivers an elevated, multi-dimensional sound experience on par with the other innovations at Lucid,” Derek Jenkins, Senior Vice President of Design for Lucid, said. “The post-luxury experience is not just about beautiful design and next-generation technology, it also speaks to an unmatched in-car experience that engages all the senses.”
The Lucid Air’s newly-revealed sound system is optimally integrated and positioned within the vehicle’s interior to allow all occupants of the electric car to feel the relative movement of individual sounds as they move around the cabin. Dolby partnered with the legendary Capitol Records Studio C recording studio as a reference design for the vehicle’s speaker integration placement strategies. Studio C was utilized for the audio production of several feature films, including the Beatles-influenced musical Across the Universe and Leonardo DiCaprio’s award-winning film The Revenant.
When combined with the Surreal Sound system within the Lucid Air, Dolby Atmos offers an unprecedented listening experience that will revolutionize the way music is listened to within a vehicle.
Lucid Motors receives approval to build Phase 2 of Casa Grande factory
“From reimagined classics to some of today’s biggest chart-topping hits, Dolby Atmos Music has been positively embraced and viewed by the music community as one of the industry’s biggest paradigm shifts within the past 50 years,” Tim Pryde of Dolby said. “As a company, we are fully committed to bringing immersive audio to all the ways in which music is enjoyed. Automotive is a natural extension for the incredible experience of music in Dolby Atmos, and we are excited to bring this to the world with Lucid.”
A video from the Lucid and Dolby partnership is available here.
Elon Musk
SpaceX secures win as US labor board drops oversight case
The NLRB confirmed that it no longer has jurisdiction over SpaceX.
SpaceX scored a legal victory after the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decided to dismiss a case which accused the company of terminating engineers who were involved in an open letter against founder Elon Musk.
The NLRB confirmed that it no longer has jurisdiction over SpaceX. The update was initially shared by Bloomberg News, which cited a letter about the matter it reportedly reviewed.
In a letter to the former employees’ lawyers, the labor board stated that the affected employees were under the jurisdiction of the National Mediation Board (NMB), not the NLRB. As a result, the labor board stated that it was dismissing the case.
As per Danielle Pierce, a regional director of the agency, “the National Labor Relations Board lacks jurisdiction over the Employer and, therefore, I am dismissing your charge.”
The NMB typically oversees airlines and railroads. The NLRB, on the other hand, covers most private-sector employers, as well as manufacturers such as Boeing.
The former SpaceX engineers have argued that the private space company did not belong under the NMB’s jurisdiction because SpaceX only offers services to “hand-picked customers.”
In an opinion, however, the NMB stated that SpaceX was under its jurisdiction because “space transport includes air travel” to get to outer space. The mediation board also noted that anyone can contact SpaceX to secure its services.
SpaceX had previously challenged the NLRB’s authority in court, arguing that the agency’s structure was unconstitutional. Jennifer Abruzzo, the NLRB general counsel under former United States President Joe Biden, rejected SpaceX’s claims. Following Abruzzo’s termination under the Trump administration, however, SpaceX asked the labor board to reconsider its arguments.
SpaceX is not the only company that has challenged the constitutionality of the NLRB. Since SpaceX filed its legal challenge against the agency in 2024, other high-profile companies have followed suit. These include Amazon, which has filed similar cases that are now pending.
News
Tesla accuses IG Metall member of secretly recording Giga Berlin meeting
The union has denied the electric vehicle maker’s allegations.
Police seized the computer of an IG Metall member at Tesla Giga Berlin on Tuesday amid allegations that a works council meeting was secretly recorded.
The union has denied the electric vehicle maker’s allegations.
In a post on X, Gigafactory Berlin plant manager André Thierig stated that an external union representative from IG Metall attended a works council meeting and allegedly recorded the session. Thierig described the event as “truly beyond words.”
“What has happened today at Giga Berlin is truly beyond words! An external union representative from IG Metall attended a works council meeting. For unknown reasons he recorded the internal meeting and was caught in action! We obviously called police and filed a criminal complaint!” Thierig wrote in his post on X.
Police later confirmed to local news outlet rbb24 that officers did seize a computer belonging to an IG Metall member at the Giga Berlin site on Tuesday afternoon. Tesla stated that employees had contacted authorities after discovering the alleged recording.
IG Metall denied Tesla’s accusations, arguing that its representative did not record the meeting. The union alleged that Tesla’s claim was simply a tactic ahead of upcoming works council elections.
The next works council election at Giga Berlin is scheduled for March 2 to 4, 2026. The facility’s management had confirmed the dates to local news outlets. The official announcement marks the start of the election process and campaign period.
Approximately 11,000 employees are eligible to participate in the vote.
The previous works council election at the plant took place in 2024, and it was triggered by a notable increase in workforce size. Under German labor law, regular works council elections must be held every four years between March 1 and May 31.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s xAI plants flag in Bellevue AI hotspot
The lease places xAI’s new office in one of the region’s fastest-growing tech hubs.
Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI has leased a full floor at Lincoln Square South in downtown Bellevue, WA, as per city permit filings.
The lease places xAI’s new office in one of the region’s fastest-growing tech hubs.
Public records indicate that xAI leased roughly 24,800 square feet in Lincoln Square South. The location was previously occupied by video game company Epic Games. Lincoln Square South is part of the Bellevue Collection, which is owned by Kemper Development Co.
The lease was first referenced in January by commercial real estate firm Broderick Group, which noted that an unnamed tenant had secured the space, as stated in a report from the Puget Sound Business Journal. Later filings identified xAI as the occupant for the space.
xAI has not publicly commented on the lease.
xAI hinted at plans to open an office in the Seattle area back in September, when the startup posted job openings with salaries ranging from $180,000 to $440,000. At the time, the company had narrowed its location search to cities on the Eastside but had not finalized a lease.
xAI’s Bellevue expansion comes as Musk continues consolidating his businesses. Last week, SpaceX acquired xAI in a deal that valued the artificial intelligence startup at $250 billion. SpaceX itself is now valued at roughly $1.25 trillion and is expected to pursue an initial public offering (IPO) later this year.
Musk already has a significant presence in the region through SpaceX, which employs about 2,000 workers locally. That initiative, however, is focused largely on Starlink satellite development.
Bellevue has increasingly become a center for artificial intelligence companies. OpenAI has expanded its local office footprint to nearly 300,000 square feet. Data infrastructure firms such as Crusoe and CoreWeave have also established offices downtown.
SpaceX secures win as US labor board drops oversight case
Tesla accuses IG Metall member of secretly recording Giga Berlin meeting
