News
Tesla Cybertruck gets seal of approval from tough 'Shark Tank' judge Mr. Wonderful
The Tesla Cybertruck continues to grow on more and more people. Since its unveiling, auto experts and actual truck owners have come to defend the vehicle, dubbing the all-electric pickup as a bold move in function and form. The Cybertruck has indeed impressed its own fair share of Tesla critics, including, as it turned out, Shark Tank judge Kevin O’Leary, better known by his tongue-in-cheek nickname Mr. Wonderful.
Kevin O’Leary has not always been a fan of Tesla, particularly its stock, at one point even admitting that he hated TSLA. He has since changed his stance on the electric car maker, even investing in Tesla himself after seeing the capability of the company to attract the best and most driven talents available. Yet, despite this, O’Leary is still as sharp and critical as ever. In true Mr. Wonderful style, O’Leary is never one to hesitate when calling out something he deems as a failure.
One could recall a Shark Tank episode from 2016 involving aspiring entrepreneur Allison DeVane, whose idea for her business, Teaspressa, failed to get a positive response from any of the sharks. Shark Tank judge Lori Greiner was quick to console the contestant, saying “Don’t look at this as a failure.” O’Leary promptly countered, saying “Look at this as a failure.” His statement was met with much disdain from fellow Shark Tank judges and viewers alike, with fellow shark Mark Cuban telling O’Leary to “shut up.” Fans of the show also stated that it seemed all too easy for Mr. Wonderful to kick someone that was already down.
O’Leary has always been a direct and somewhat brash critic. In the case of the Tesla Cybertruck, Mr. Wonderful will likely be one of the first to say that the vehicle has no chance in the market. Yet, in a recent conversation with noted YouTube tech reviewer Marques Brownlee, O’Leary admitted that he actually placed a reservation for the upcoming all-electric pickup. He is even getting the tri-motor AWD variant so that he gets maximum range and power for long trips. Discussing his reservation, O’Leary stated that the Cybertruck is not really a pickup truck in the traditional sense of the word.
“It’s not a pickup truck. It’s some kind of other thing, but it’s grown on me. That Elon guy, he kind of steps ahead. He kind of reminds me of Steve Jobs in a way. I used to work for Steve in educational software and I’d always say to him ‘Steve, what about the research.’ He said ‘Screw the research.’ People don’t know what they want until I tell them.’ And I said, ‘You arrogant prick. How can you say that?’ And he was 100% right. That was it. He was not an easy guy to work for, I gotta tell you. And I’m trying to be nice,” O’Leary said.
O’Leary’s statements about market research are true. Tesla and Elon Musk did not do traditional market research for the Cybertruck, which is among the reasons why the vehicle in itself is so radical. Despite this, the vehicle is also a culmination of exchanges between Elon Musk and the online community, with both parties brainstorming features and capabilities that are most important in an all-electric pickup. As Mr. Wonderful said, people like the legendary Steve Jobs and Elon Musk are steps ahead. For visionaries such as these, market research may not be a very useful tool at all.
-->Watch Mr. Wonderful and MKBHD’s conversation in the video below.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk and James Cameron find middle ground in space and AI despite political differences
Musk responded with some positive words for the director on X.
Avatar director James Cameron has stated that he can still agree with Elon Musk on space exploration and AI safety despite their stark political differences.
In an interview with Puck’s The Town podcast, the liberal director praised Musk’s SpaceX achievements and said higher priorities must unite them, such as space travel and artificial intelligence. Musk responded with some positive words for the director on X.
A longtime mutual respect
Cameron and Musk have bonded over technology for years. As far back as 2011, Cameron told NBC News that “Elon is making very strong strides. I think he’s the likeliest person to step into the shoes of the shuttle program and actually provide human access to low Earth orbit. So… go, Elon.” Cameron was right, as SpaceX would go on to become the dominant force in spaceflight over the years.
Even after Musk’s embrace of conservative politics and his roles as senior advisor and former DOGE head, Cameron refused to cancel his relationship with the CEO. “I can separate a person and their politics from the things that they want to accomplish if they’re aligned with what I think are good goals,” Cameron said. Musk appreciated the director’s comments, stating that “Jim understands physics, which is rare in Hollywood.”
Shared AI warnings
Both men have stated that artificial intelligence could be an existential threat to humanity, though Musk has noted that Tesla’s products such as Optimus could usher in an era of sustainable abundance. Musk recently predicted that money and jobs could become irrelevant with advancing AI, while Cameron warned of a deeper crisis, as noted in a Fox News report.
-->“Because the overall risk of AI in general… is that we lose purpose as people. We lose jobs. We lose a sense of, ‘Well, what are we here for?’” Cameron said. “We are these flawed biological machines, and a computer can be theoretically more precise, more correct, faster, all of those things. And that’s going to be a threshold existential issue.”
He concluded: “I just think it’s important for us as a human civilization to prioritize. We’ve got to make this Earth our spaceship. That’s really what we need to be thinking.”
News
Blue Origin announces Super-Heavy New Glenn 9×4 to Rival SpaceX Starship
The announcement followed the company’s successful NG-2 launch on November 13.
Blue Origin has revealed plans to develop New Glenn 9×4, a “super heavy” rocket designed to deliver 70 metric tons to low-Earth orbit and directly compete with SpaceX’s Starship.
The announcement followed the company’s successful NG-2 launch on November 13, which deployed NASA’s ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration Dynamics Explorers) Mars mission and landed the first stage.
Upgraded engines and reusability
As noted in a Universe Today report, Blue Origin will roll out upgraded BE-4 engines producing 640,000 lbf each, up from 550,000 lbf, starting with NG-3. This should boost the New Glenn rocket’s total first-stage thrust to 4.5 million pounds. Upper-stage BE-3U engines are expected to improve from 320,000 lbf to 400,000 lbf over the next few flights as well.
“These enhancements will immediately benefit customers already manifested on New Glenn to fly to destinations including low-Earth orbit, the Moon, and beyond. Additional vehicle upgrades include a reusable fairing to support increased flight rates, an updated lower-cost tank design, and a higher-performing and reusable thermal protection system to improve turnaround time,” Blue Origin noted.
New Glenn “Super Heavy” 9×4
The super-heavy New Glenn 9×4, with nine BE-4s on the booster, four BE-3Us on the upper stage, will feature an 8.7-meter payload fairing. Blue Origin expects New Glenn 9×4 to be capable of transporting 70 metric tons to LEO, 14 tons to GSO, and 20 tons to trans-lunar injection, as noted by the company in a blog post. This is very impressive, as New Glenn 9×4’s capacity exceeds Falcon Heavy, SpaceX’s largest rocket available to consumers today. Falcon Heavy is capable of carrying up to 64 metric tons to low Earth orbit in a fully expendable configuration.
-->That being said, SpaceX’s Starship’s capacity is extremely impressive. As per SpaceX, Starship is designed to be capable of carrying up to 100-150 metric tonnes to orbit in its fully reusable configuration. At its expendable configuration, Starship’s capacity enters unheard-of territory, with SpaceX stating that the vehicle could transport 250 metric tonnes of cargo.
News
Tesla FSD approved for testing in Nacka, Sweden, though municipality note reveals aggravating detail
Nacka, Sweden, a municipality just a few miles from Stockholm, has given its approval for FSD tests.
Tesla has secured approval for FSD testing in an urban environment in Sweden. As per recent reports from the Tesla community, Nacka, Sweden, a municipality just a few miles from Stockholm, has given its approval for FSD tests.
A look at the municipality’s note regarding FSD’s approval, however, reveals something quite aggravating.
FSD testing approval secured
As per Tesla watcher and longtime shareholder Alexander Kristensen, Nacka is governed by the Moderate Party. The shareholder also shared the municipality’s protocol notes regarding approval for FSD’s tests.
“It is good that Nacka can be a place for test-driving self-driving cars. This is future technology that can both facilitate mobility and make transportation cheaper and more environmentally friendly,” the note read.
The update was received positively by the Tesla community on social media, as it suggests that the electric vehicle maker is making some legitimate headway in releasing FSD into the region. Sweden has been particularly challenging as well, so securing approval in Nacka is a notable milestone for the company’s efforts.
-->Aggravating details
A look at the notes from Nacka shows that FSD’s proposed tests still met some opposition from some officials. But while some critics might typically point to safety issues as their reasons for rejecting FSD, those who opposed the system in Nacka openly cited Tesla’s conflict with trade union IF Metall in their arguments. Fortunately, Nacka officials ultimately decided in Tesla’s favor as the company’s issues with the country’s unions are a completely different matter.
“The left-wing opposition (S, Nackalistan, MP and V) voted no to this, referring to the fact that the applicant company Tesla is involved in a labor market conflict and does not want to sign a collective agreement. We believe that this is not an acceptable reason for the municipality to use its authority to interfere in a labor law conflict.
“Signing a collective agreement is not an obligation, and the company has not committed any crime. The municipality should contribute to technological development and progress, not work against the future,” the note read.
Elon Musk and James Cameron find middle ground in space and AI despite political differences
Blue Origin announces Super-Heavy New Glenn 9×4 to Rival SpaceX Starship
