Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Beta has been released for a couple of months now, and plenty of content has been uploaded by the lucky group of Beta testers who have access to the functionality. One owner took his Model 3 to the limit when testing the FSD functionality by allowing it to attempt navigating an infamous roundabout located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which has been labeled as one of the most difficult to navigate in the state.
According to Dirty Tesla, who has uploaded several videos of his Model 3 during the FSD Beta release period, the roundabout in question is located at State and Ellsworth in Ann Arbor, home of the University of Michigan. Upon further examination of the notoriously difficult roundabout, it is evident that the roadway has been challenging for many drivers, so a test with Tesla’s FSD Beta would be quite the hurdle to overcome.
The Ann Arbor Observer has labeled the roundabout as one that drivers hate in an article from September 2020. The local newspaper reported that the roundabout opened in 2013 and was installed with the hopes of decreasing the amount of time that the intersection takes to get through during rush hour. “It could take twenty minutes to get through the intersection” before the installation of the roundabout, Observer writer James Leonard said in the article. The intersection was responsible for 149 accidents in the five years prior to the roundabout’s first appearance. But the strategy to alleviate traffic time and avoid accidents didn’t go according to plan. In the five years after the roundabout’s establishment, 650 accidents had occurred.
“We as engineers thought we are getting such great results with single-lane roundabouts when it came to crash statistics and capacity analysis that we just thought automatically it was going to translate over into the multilane roundabouts,” Washtenaw County Road Commission engineer Mark McCulloch said about the roundabout. “That’s just not the case. None of us, me included or the design engineers, had any idea [that] people were going to have complications with it.”
The roundabout was evidently going to be a tall task for Tesla’s not-wide-released version of the Full Self-Driving suite. It is relatively new and timid, and it is still learning. CEO Elon Musk told FSD users that new features are expected to act slowly until the characteristic gains more confidence. Drivers are required to keep their hands on the wheel at all times and pay attention to their surroundings.
The FSD-equipped Model 3 certainly did a reasonable job. Dirty Tesla did intervene several times during the multiple trials through the roundabout. Still, it managed to go through the difficult stretch of roadway twice, with only minor adjustments being needed.
To watch Dirty Tesla’s Model 3 navigate through the roundabout located at State and Ellsworth, watch his video below.
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.
Elon Musk
SpaceX blocks unauthorized Starlink terminals used by Russian troops
Ukrainian officials confirmed that Starlink terminals believed to be used by Russian troops were disabled after coordination with SpaceX.
SpaceX has taken steps to block unauthorized use of its Starlink satellite internet network, a move Ukrainian officials stated is already disrupting Russian military communications.
Russian units lose a key communications tool
As per a report from The Guardian, Ukrainian defense officials have confirmed that Starlink terminals believed to be used by Russian troops were recently disabled after coordination with SpaceX. The move reportedly affected frontline communications and drone operations, especially in areas where traditional military radios are unreliable or easily jammed.
For months, Russian units had relied on large numbers of illicitly obtained Starlink terminals to stay connected along the front. The satellite internet service allowed faster coordination and more precise drone use for Russian forces.
Several Russian military bloggers close to frontline units have acknowledged the impact of the Starlink shutdown, with some describing sudden connectivity problems in the satellite internet service.
Russia lacks comparable replacement
Russia does not have a satellite internet system that matches Starlink’s speed, coverage, and ease of deployment. Alternatives such as fiber-optic lines, short-range wireless links, and digital radio systems take longer to install and work inadequately for fast-moving units.
Russia does operate limited satellite communications through state-linked providers, but those systems rely mainly on geostationary satellites, which are notably slower. Coverage is uneven, and data capacity is far lower than Starlink’s low-Earth-orbit network.
For now, Ukraine has stated that it has introduced a verification system that allows only approved Starlink terminals to connect. Devices believed to be linked to Russian forces are blocked from the network. That being said, Ukrainian officials have also claimed Russian units are trying to work around the restrictions by asking civilians to register Starlink terminals in their names.
Tesla accuses IG Metall member of secretly recording Giga Berlin meeting
Elon Musk’s xAI plants flag in Bellevue AI hotspot
