In a recent press release, electric vehicle maker Rivian Automotive Inc. announced that it had hired Tesla, Apple, and Meta alumnus Sarah O’Brien. She will be working as Rivian’s Chief Communications Officer.
Prior to her appointment at Rivian, O’Brien spent over four years working as the Vice President of Executive and Product Communications at Meta. As Rivian’s new executive, she will be reporting directly to Rivian Founder and CEO RJ Scaringe.
O’Brien carries a lot of experience in the electric vehicle sector. During her tenure at Tesla, she served as the EV maker’s Vice President of Communications, and she supported the launch of the Model 3, Solar Roof, and the Tesla Semi. The Model 3 and Tesla Semi’s launches were among the electric vehicle maker’s best and most refined to date. The Tesla Semi launch, in particular, was very memorable due to its “one more thing” portion — the unveiling of the next-generation Roadster.
During her eight-year stint at Apple, O’Brien led the communications for the Apple Watch, one of the tech giant’s most iconic products in recent years. She also helped in the global launches for products like the iPhone, iPad, App Store, and the iTunes Music Festival.
In Rivian, O’Brien is expected to oversee the electric vehicle maker’s communications function. These include product, consumer, internal, and corporate communications. Her experience should help highlight and promote Rivian’s latest innovations.
The new Rivian executive shared her thoughts about her new appointment.
“Rivian is still in the early chapters of its incredible story, and I’m thrilled to be able to play a role in telling the next chapters. Rivian is delivering on an ambitious mission, not only to create electric vehicles that redefine the ownership experience, but to provide its customers with real ways to get carbon out of transportation and drive real impact. By helping to tell Rivian’s stories, we hope to inspire people from across the world to explore responsibly and preserve our natural world,” O’Brien said in a press release.
While O’Brien is not part of Rivian’s production team, her expertise in communications would help frame the company’s work in a way that would make it relevant and significant to potential customers. This is incredibly important, especially considering that Rivian stock has dipped over 80% from where it was at the start of 2022.
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Tesla is launching a crazy new Rental program with cheap daily rates
This week, Tesla launched its in-house Rental program that will give people a vehicle for between three to seven days, with prices varying and starting at just $60 per day.
Tesla is launching a crazy new Rental program with cheap daily rates, giving people the opportunity to borrow a vehicle in the company’s lineup with an outrageous number of perks.
This week, Tesla launched its in-house Rental program that will give people a vehicle for between three to seven days, with prices varying and starting at just $60 per day.
However, there are additional perks that make it a really great deal, including Free Supercharging and Free Full Self-Driving (Supervised) for the duration of the rental.
There are no limits on mileage or charging, although the terms do not allow you to leave the state you are renting.
Tesla wrote in an email advertising the program:
“Rent a Tesla and see how it makes every errand, commute, and road trip more fun. While it’s yours, try Full Self-Driving (Supervised) and control and monitor your vehicle with the Tesla app.
Schedule your rental for three to seven days starting at $60 per day (plus taxes and fees) and charge for free at any Tesla-owned Supercharger.
Order your own Tesla within seven days of your rental to get up to a $250 credit toward your purchase.”
This is a great opportunity that will convince MANY people to make the jump.
All your concerns about switching are answered within two days. It’s easier than owning a gas car ever has been. https://t.co/QayTf6YVbw pic.twitter.com/TCHqfTRpes
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 8, 2025
Tesla has long adopted the mentality that butts in seats will sell cars, and for the most part, it is a great strategy. Driving a Tesla is different from owning and driving a combustion engine vehicle; it truly feels as if you are in a car from the past when you get back in an ICE car.
This strategy could be looked at as more of a way for people to experience Tesla ownership than anything.
Although some might use it as a typical rental program that will see it be a cool way to drive without putting miles on a personal car, most will use it as the 48-hour test drive was designed for, which is a short-term way to experience EV ownership.
Tesla is only offering this program at a handful of locations currently, including San Diego and Costa Mesa, California.
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Tesla makes online ordering even easier
Tesla has a great trade-in program that allows you to give the company your vehicle in exchange for cash, even if it’s not an EV. Their trades are mostly fair, but the company seems to undervalue its own vehicles, and there have been plenty of complaints over offers in the past.
Tesla has adjusted its Online Design Studio to make for an easier trade-in process, reflecting the details of the exchange for a more accurate reflection of payment terms.
Tesla has a great trade-in program that allows you to give the company your vehicle in exchange for cash, even if it’s not an EV. Their trades are mostly fair, but the company seems to undervalue its own vehicles, and there have been plenty of complaints over offers in the past.
Trade-ins are usually given by submitting vehicle details, then Tesla sends an email with an offer. Offers are non-negotiable, but do adjust over time, although the latest offer is valid for 30 days.
I traded my ICE vehicle for a Tesla Model Y: here’s how it went
Knowing your new Tesla’s cash price, leasing or loan details, and monthly payment information used to be done by the car buyer. From personal experience, I simply subtracted my trade-in from the cash price of the Tesla Model Y, and I plugged those numbers into the payment calculator.
Now, Tesla is implementing the trade-in process directly into the Design Studio. It will adjust the price of the car and the different monthly payment methods automatically:
Trade-in estimates available directly on our configurator in few states including CA, will cover all of US and Canada next week.
For loyalty customers, if their trade-in VIN is eligible for any loyalty credit, the same will be applied to the estimate. pic.twitter.com/7097vPleMf
— Raj Jegannathan (@r_jegaa) November 8, 2025
The change is already noticed in a handful of states, including California, but it has not rolled out across the board quite yet. It will be implemented in all of the U.S., as well as Canada, this coming week.
The trade-in process is very simple, and after you accept your offer, you simply drop your vehicle off during the delivery process. Making this simple change will be greatly appreciated by owners.
News
Tesla confirms Robotaxi is heading to five new cities in the U.S.
After launching in Austin, Texas, in late June and the Bay Area of California just a few weeks later, Tesla has been attempting to expand its Robotaxi suite to new states and cities in the U.S., and even outside of the country.
Tesla Robotaxi will hit five new cities in the United States in the coming months, the company confirmed.
After launching in Austin, Texas, in late June and the Bay Area of California just a few weeks later, Tesla has been attempting to expand its Robotaxi suite to new states and cities in the U.S., and even outside of the country.
The Robotaxi suite is a ride-hailing service Tesla offers, but the details of it change with each jurisdiction, as regulations vary. For example, in Austin, Tesla can operate the Robotaxi suite without anyone in the driver’s seat, as long as the vehicle does not enter a freeway.

Credit: Tesla
In the Bay Area, a Safety Monitor rides in the driver’s seat, essentially acting as the vehicle operator with Full Self-Driving controlling the car.
The local regulations and how Tesla handles them will continue to be a relevant part of the discussion, especially as the company aims to expand the Robotaxi program to different areas. This has been a primary focus of the company for several months, especially within the United States.
CEO Elon Musk said that Tesla was aiming to launch Robotaxi in Nevada, Arizona, and Florida. However, the company detailed five specific cities where it will launch Robotaxi next during the Annual Shareholder Meeting on Thursday.
Tesla will launch Robotaxi in Las Vegas, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, and Miami next, broadening its Service Area for the suite to more major cities across the U.S.
It has said it plans to offer the service to half of the U.S. population by the end of the year, but it does not seem as if it will expand to more than a handful of cities this year, which is still tremendous progress, all things considered.
As far as autonomy is concerned, Tesla has always had lofty expectations and has made some even loftier statements.
At the Shareholder Meeting, Musk said that the company would likely be able to enable vehicle owners to text while the vehicle drives, alleviating them from potentially having some of the responsibility they have behind the wheel.
Tesla says texting and driving capability is coming ‘in a month or two’
It is not confirmed that Tesla will roll this out in the next few months, but Musk said there is a possibility.
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