The Tesla Cybertruck unveiling event has pretty much become the stuff of internet legend. Part of this is due to the vehicle itself, which is just so different that it stands out from the rest of the pickup trucks in the market. The unveiling also included the Cybertruck’s now-infamous Armor Glass demo, which resulted in the all-electric pickup having two broken windows.
Elon Musk has since taken the unfortunate incident in stride, and this was evident in his recent appearance at the Hack Club AMA, where he spoke with aspiring members of the tech community. Interestingly enough, one of the group’s members asked Musk about the Cybertruck unveiling, particularly his thought process during and after the vehicle’s failed Armor Glass demonstration.
Musk took the question lightly, finding humor in the unexpected event. According to the Tesla CEO, the sledgehammer demonstration that was done before the Armor Glass demo likely cracked the base of the window, which caused the steel ball to crack the glass instead of bouncing off like it did when he and Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen were practicing the backstage.
Musk noted that the first window breaking was very startling, and it threw him off his rhythm. Poking fun at himself, Musk added that after the first window broke, he immediately thought that Franz should attempt another demonstration on another second window. Unfortunately, the second demonstration should have been done in the windows on the other side of the vehicle, not the one directly adjacent to the window that broke.
“That was quite startling. And then the irony was that I was like ‘Oh, the first window doesn’t work, don’t worry, the second one will, that will definitely work.’ The thing was, it was (supposed to be the window) on the other side of the vehicle, not the second window along, but on the other side,” Musk said.
That being said, the failed Armor Glass demonstration is one of the things that made the Cybertruck unveiling extremely memorable. Musk emphasized this point, stating that while the whole experience pretty much stunned him while he was presenting on stage, the incident ended up getting a lot of attention for the all-electric pickup. And in teh grand scheme of things, that is not so bad at all.
“I think, you know, it got a lot of attention so I guess it wasn’t that bad. And we can always repeat it again. But it was quite shocking. It sort of stopped me on my tracks there. I was like ‘Whoa, now what?’ But, I think the thing that maybe what saved the day was driving the electric ATV up the truck bed… I think it ended on a good note. But yeah, I was kinda stunned, and I kinda forgot what I was supposed to do. That’s what actually happened there,” he explained.
Unexpected demonstration results aside, Elon Musk stated that the Cybertruck would definitely be a vehicle worth waiting for. This is something that he has hinted at in the past, noting that the Cybertruck is arguably a project that excites him the most. Just recently, on Twitter, for example, Musk stated that he could not wait to build the all-electric pickup. Tesla is even looking to establish a specific Gigafactory for the Cybertruck, which will be built in the heart of the United States.
“But (the Cybertruck is) gonna be a great car though. I think it may be our most fun car, the Cybertruck,” Musk remarked.
Elon Musk
SpaceX targets 150Mbps per user for upgraded Starlink Direct-to-Cell
If achieved, the 150Mbps goal would represent a significant jump from the current performance of Starlink Direct-to-Cell.
SpaceX is targeting peak download speeds of 150Mbps per user for its next-generation Direct-to-Cell Starlink service. The update was shared by SpaceX Spectrum & Regulatory Affairs Lead Udrivolf Pica during the International Telecommunication Union’s Space Connect conference.
“We are aiming at peak speeds of 150Mbps per user,” Pica said during the conference. “So something incredible if you think about the link budgets from space to the mobile phone.”
If achieved, the 150Mbps goal would represent a significant jump from the current performance of Starlink Direct-to-Cell.
Today, SpaceX’s cellular Starlink service, offered in partnership with T-Mobile under the T-Satellite brand, provides speeds of roughly 4Mbps per user. The service is designed primarily for texts, low-resolution video calls, and select apps in locations that traditionally have no cellular service.
By comparison, Ookla data shows median 5G download speeds of approximately 309Mbps for T-Mobile and 172Mbps for AT&T in the United States, as noted in a PCMag report. While 150Mbps would still trail the fastest terrestrial 5G networks, it would place satellite-to-phone broadband much closer to conventional carrier performance, even in remote areas.
Pica indicated that the upgraded system would support “video, voice, and data services, clearly,” moving beyond emergency connectivity and basic messaging use cases.
To reach that target, SpaceX plans to upgrade its existing Starlink Direct-to-Cell satellites and add significant new capacity. The company recently acquired access to radio spectrum from EchoStar, which Pica described as key to expanding throughput.
“More spectrum means a bigger pipeline, and this means that we can expand what we can do with partners. We can expand the quality of service. And again, we can do cellular broadband basically, cellular broadband use cases, like AI or daily connectivity needs,” he stated.
SpaceX has also requested regulatory approval to deploy 15,000 additional Direct-to-Cell satellites, beyond the roughly 650 currently supporting the system. The upgraded architecture is expected to begin rolling out in late 2027.
News
Tesla seeks approval to test FSD Supervised in new Swedish city
Tesla has applied to conduct local Full Self-Driving (Supervised) testing in the city of Jönköping, Sweden.
Tesla has applied to conduct local Full Self-Driving (Supervised) testing in the city of Jönköping, Sweden.
As per local outlet Jönköpings-Posten, Tesla has contacted the municipality with a request to begin FSD (Supervised) tests in the city. The company has already received approval to test its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software in several Swedish municipalities, as well as on the national road network.
Sofia Bennerstål, Tesla’s Head of Public Policy for Northern Europe, confirmed that an application has been submitted for FSD’s potential tests in Jönköping.
“I can confirm that we have submitted an application, but I cannot say much more about it,” Bennerstål told the news outlet. She also stated that Tesla is “satisfied with the tests” in the region so far.
The planned tests in Jönköping would involve a limited number of Tesla-owned vehicles. Trained Tesla safety drivers would remain behind the wheel and be prepared to intervene if necessary.
Tesla previously began testing in Nacka municipality after receiving local approval. At the time, the company stated that cooperation between authorities, municipalities, and industry enables technological progress and helps integrate future transport systems into real-world traffic conditions, as noted in an Allt Om Elbil report.
If approved, Jönköping would become the latest Swedish municipality to allow local Full Self-Driving (Supervised) testing.
Tesla’s Swedish testing program is part of the company’s efforts to validate its supervised autonomous driving software in everyday traffic environments. Municipal approvals allow Tesla to gather data in urban settings that include roundabouts, complex intersections, and mixed traffic conditions.
Sweden has become an increasingly active testing ground for Tesla’s driver-assistance software in Europe, with regulatory coordination between local authorities and national agencies enabling structured pilot programs.
Elon Musk
Microsoft partners with Starlink to expand rural internet access worldwide
The update was shared ahead of Mobile World Congress.
Microsoft has announced a new collaboration with Starlink as part of its expanding digital access strategy, following the company’s claim that it has extended internet connectivity coverage to more than 299 million people worldwide.
The update was shared ahead of Mobile World Congress, where Microsoft detailed how it surpassed its original goal of bringing internet access to 250 million people by the end of 2025.
In a blog post, Microsoft confirmed that it is now working with Starlink to expand connectivity in rural and hard-to-reach regions.
“Through our collaboration with Starlink, Microsoft is combining low-Earth orbit satellite connectivity with community-based deployment models and local ecosystem partnerships,” the company wrote.
The partnership is designed to complement Microsoft’s existing work with local internet providers and infrastructure companies across Africa, Latin America, and India, among other areas. Microsoft noted that traditional infrastructure alone cannot meet demand in some regions, making low-Earth orbit satellite connectivity an important addition.
Kenya was cited as an early example. Working with Starlink and local provider Mawingu Networks, Microsoft is supporting connectivity for 450 community hubs in rural and underserved areas. These hubs include farmer cooperatives, aggregation centers, and digital access facilities intended to support agricultural productivity and AI-enabled services.
Microsoft stated that 2.2 billion people globally remain offline, and that connectivity gaps risk widening as AI adoption accelerates.
Starlink’s expanding constellation, now numbering more than 9,700 satellites in orbit, provides near-global coverage, making it one of the few systems capable of delivering broadband to remote regions without relying on terrestrial infrastructure.
Starlink is expected to grow even more in the coming years as well, especially as SpaceX transitions its fleet to Starship, which is capable of carrying significantly larger payloads compared to its current workhorse, the Falcon 9.
SpaceX targets 150Mbps per user for upgraded Starlink Direct-to-Cell
Tesla seeks approval to test FSD Supervised in new Swedish city
