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Tesla Cybertruck is in the crosshairs of many but Elon Musk isn’t worried
There is a point to be argued that the attention attracted by the Tesla Cybertruck is a double-edged sword. Granted, the vehicle has captured the interest of both the EV and traditional auto community primarily due to its stark XY design, but with this comes a ton of scrutiny from all sides. And in the months since its unveiling, the Cybertruck has received a healthy dose of scrutiny.
Critics pointing out negatives about Tesla’s upcoming vehicles is nothing new, and in the Cybertruck’s case, some of these were unfounded. Yet there were valid concerns about the vehicle. The truck is massive, for example, to the point where AR simulations of the vehicle indicated that it would not fit in an average 20×20 garage in the United States. Others, interestingly enough, questioned the vehicle’s capabilities as a legitimate off-roader due to its weight.
In true Tesla fashion, the electric car maker appears to have taken it upon itself to make sure that it addresses these criticisms. Elon Musk, for one, noted in a recent Twitter post that the Cybertruck’s production version would be about 3% smaller than the vehicle featured at the unveiling. Such a reduction will likely not affect the spaciousness or utility of the all-electric pickup, but it will enable the Cybertruck to fit in conventional garages.
This automatically opens up a whole new market for the Cybertruck. Following its unveiling, members of the Tesla community who were fortunate enough to experience a test ride in the vehicle noted that the Cybertruck is incredibly large. Thus, it did not take long before reservation holders indicated that they would likely keep the truck outside their garage due to its size. With a 3% reduction in size, this does not have to be the case.
Adjustments to the Cybertruck’s window sill height also makes the vehicle less intimidating for both passengers and drivers. With a lower window sill height, the Cybertruck will feel less like a vehicle that’s essentially swallowing its occupants. For territories beyond the US where large trucks are not as common, this particular detail would likely be appreciated by potential buyers.
Apart from adjustments to its size, Elon Musk mentioned that the Cybertruck’s air suspension system would be completely different from those used in the Model S and Model X. This suggests that unlike the two flagships, both of which are designed for the city, the Cybertruck’s suspension is intended to be used under rough and tough conditions. Musk said as much, stating that the Cybertruck is being designed to dominate in events like the Baja 1000, an off-road racing series where the auto industry’s best trucks compete against each other.
Just recently, truck enthusiasts from The Fast Lane Car YouTube channel expressed their doubts about the Cybertruck’s off-road capability due to the vehicle’s “monstrous” weight and lack of low-speed gearing. The hosts even mentioned the vehicle’s ground clearance. This is quite surprising as the Cybertruck’s 16″ ground clearance dwarfs that of popular trucks like the Ford F-150 Raptor, matching monster trucks like the Hummer H1, a military vehicle that’s pretty much just converted for civilian use.
One thing that critics are prone to forget is the fact that Tesla never remains in one place. Yes, the Cybertruck may be a bit too large when it was unveiled, but this does not mean that its size could not be reduced. The vehicle may look heavy and daunting, but perhaps it would be lighter than expected when it gets to production thanks to better battery technology. And with suspension improvements hinted at by Elon Musk, the Cybertruck could very well set the standard for all-electric off-road vehicles for years to come.
It is easy to dismiss Tesla’s efforts because of the company’s lack of experience compared to veterans in the auto industry. But underestimating Tesla is a grave mistake. One just needs to look at the premium midsize sedan market to see this point. Prior to the Model 3, for example, the BMW 3-Series seemed like a wall that could not be broken. As it turned out, even established cars like the BMW M3 could be bested, and later, even dominated. With this in mind, popular off-roaders today are best advised not to underestimate the Cybertruck.
Elon Musk
Nvidia’s board meets on Jensen Huang, and Elon Musk already has an answer
Elon Musk says it would be an honor to hire Jensen Huang amid Nvidia turmoil.
Elon Musk says he would welcome Jensen Huang at one of his companies if Nvidia’s board decides to push out its longtime chief executive.
On Wednesday evening, the financial account ZeroHedge posted “Elon please hire Jensen” on X. Musk replied roughly two hours later: “That would be an honor.” Neither Huang nor Nvidia had responded publicly as of Wednesday night.
Musk’s reply came as Nvidia’s board met to decide Huang’s future. The Wall Street Journal reported that directors were preparing to oust him following reports of two extramarital relationships. One involves Alice Huang, a Singapore-based businesswoman whom U.S. intelligence officials reportedly believe was working for China’s Ministry of State Security. The New York Times separately reported a relationship with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia’s vice president of health care. Huang acknowledged being unfaithful in a memo to employees on Sunday but gave no details.
@zerohedge That would be an honor
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 12, 2026
Under Nvidia’s bylaws, a majority of its 11 directors can remove the CEO with or without cause. Bloomberg reported that the board has been working with an outside firm on possible replacements and may name an interim chief, with CFO Colette Kress seen as the likely pick. Nvidia shares fell more than 8 percent in extended trading, according to CNBC, and the company is scheduled to report quarterly earnings on November 17.
Musk has more riding on Nvidia’s leadership than most tech executives. In August, he told investors on SpaceX’s first earnings call as a public company that it would build its AI infrastructure exclusively on Nvidia hardware, calling Vera Rubin “the best architecture.” SpaceX is also working with Nvidia on the compute payload for Starmind, its planned orbital AI constellation. In October, SpaceX said it had a binding commitment for a roughly $40 billion lease of Vera Rubin GPUs and related equipment, with the leases expected to begin in the first half of 2027.
The scale of that dependence is already enormous. On its Q3 call, SpaceX said it was bringing roughly 200,000 to 220,000 Nvidia GB300 GPUs online each month and expects 2.5 to 3 GW of nameplate compute by the end of the year. That buildout is now reaching new sites like the proposed $24 billion power plant and supercomputer campus at Starbase.
The relationship between the two executives also goes back nearly a decade. Huang has often told the story of personally delivering Nvidia’s first DGX-1 AI supercomputer to Musk in 2016, when no other customer wanted one. “Nobody wanted to be part of it, except for Elon,” Huang said on the Joe Rogan Experience last December.
Musk did not say what role Huang might fill, and his reply stops short of a formal offer. Huang co-founded Nvidia in 1993 and still owns about 3.6 percent of its stock, so any move to a Musk company would depend on whether, and how, he leaves the chipmaker he has run for more than three decades.
SpaceX officially launched the Starlink Mini 2 on November 10, delivering the first portable Starlink terminal designed around independent power.
Invitation-only preorders for select U.S. customers are priced at $999 plus tax, a figure that includes a full year of Roam Unlimited service valued at roughly $2,100. A refundable $100 deposit reserves the kit, with the balance due at shipment, expected to begin in mid-December. Broader availability is listed as coming soon.
Starlink just unveiled Mini 2, its next-gen portable dish.
Quick-swap battery, up to 4.5 hrs per charge
USB-C power
Built-in Wi-Fi
Online in about 60 secondsPreorders are open now. https://t.co/QawqgbswrQ
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 10, 2026
The headline feature is the quick-swap 71 Wh battery. Clipped to the rear of the dish without tools, it delivers up to 4.5 hours of connectivity on a single charge.
The 490-gram pack includes its own USB-C port and LED indicators, so users can charge a spare separately and swap it in seconds while staying online. Starlink notes that the terminal can continue operating while the battery charges or run directly from a 60 W USB-C source. The retail box includes one battery, a 60 W USB-C charger, and a 3-meter cable.
Beyond power, the Mini 2 is thinner at 23.1 mm (versus 38.5 mm on the original Mini) while measuring 263 × 314 mm. With the battery and kickstand attached it weighs 1.6 kg.
Built-in Wi-Fi 6 expands coverage to up to 1,800 square feet, an IP67 rating protects against dust and water, and a standard 1/4-20 tripod thread plus physical power button round out the design. Field of view remains 110 degrees, and the unit retains support for mobile use.
For travelers, campers, and remote workers, the swappable battery removes the longstanding requirement for an external power bank or vehicle outlet that defined the first Mini. Spare packs sold separately further extend runtime, turning the compact terminal into a more self-contained solution.
While the bundled $999 invitation price sits well above the original Mini’s current $149 starting point, the included year of service and genuine untethered operation mark a clear step forward in portable satellite internet.
Elon Musk
SpaceX’s $24B Starbase supercomputer plan slipped past a key roadblock
SpaceX wants a Starbase tax break for a $24 billion gas plant and supercomputer campus.
SpaceX is asking its own company town for a tax break on a $24 billion natural gas power plant and supercomputing facility at Starbase, Texas, and the land it picked sits just outside the reach of a data center moratorium that took effect in neighboring Brownsville last week.
A City of Starbase public hearing notice says SpaceX “proposes to construct, own, and operate a gas-fired power plant and super-compute facility” on roughly 444 acres between Boca Chica Boulevard and the Port of Brownsville. The $24 billion figure covers only the initial phases, and the notice leaves room for future expansions. The Starbase City Commission will consider a property tax abatement and a related economic development agreement at a 7 p.m. hearing on December 9. The notice does not disclose the size or length of the abatement, or how much computing capacity the site would hold.
The location has a history. Over the summer, SpaceX asked Brownsville to remove the tract from its city limits and offered $220 million for water and wastewater projects in return. Brownsville approved the move in August, and Starbase later annexed the land. Brownsville’s own 90-day pause on data center applications took effect last week, and had the tract stayed inside the city, the project likely would have needed a different home.
The power side is already in front of state regulators. SpaceX has applied to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for air permits covering 35 mobile gas turbines producing roughly 750 megawatts, according to Politico, which also noted that two of the three Starbase commissioners voting on the incentives are SpaceX executives.
Building its own plant lets SpaceX skip the Texas grid. Gov. Greg Abbott paused new data center grid connections in August pending an audit, but a facility that generates its own electricity does not need one. The air permit still has to clear the TCEQ, where Abbott also ordered a halt on data center permits.
The bigger test arrives in January. Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa, who unseated Abbott last week, has said she will block data center approvals until the legislature passes new protections, and she has already asked state officials to hold off on any sale of Boca Chica State Park to SpaceX until she is sworn in. Tesla and SpaceX shares both fell the day after the election, and Musk’s first reaction on X was “Data centers in space looking pretty appealing right now.”
That line points to Starmind, SpaceX’s orbital compute constellation. Musk has said terrestrial compute will be “peanuts compared to orbital compute” and expects monthly orbital deployments to pass ground deployments around the end of 2028, as Teslarati reported. Until then, SpaceX still needs gigawatts on the ground. It ended the third quarter with 1.7 GW of nameplate compute, is targeting 2.5 to 3 GW by the end of this year and wants at least 10 GW more in 2027. Its existing Colossus sites around Memphis already run on gas turbines and face a lawsuit from residents over emissions.
Local reaction is split. The South Texas Environmental Justice Network has announced a protest, citing air quality, water use and energy bills, while some Brownsville residents told the Tribune they welcome the jobs. SpaceX did not respond to the Tribune’s questions about the project.
Nvidia’s board meets on Jensen Huang, and Elon Musk already has an answer
Starlink Mini 2 arrives with one feature for true off-grid connectivity
