xAI’s latest creation, Grokipedia, has gone live, and even if it’s only at Version 0.1, it is already receiving positive reviews from some users. These include Larry Sanger, the co-founder of Wikipedia, the world’s largest online encyclopedia, which has become quite controversial in recent years over accusations of bias.

Grokipedia launches

Immediately after Grokipedia went live, the AI-powered Wikipedia alternative was tested by numerous users. So far, a good number of testers have responded positively to the online encyclopedia, with many observing that Grokipedia does tend to be more neutral than Wikipedia. This was particularly evident in controversial topics, from alternative medicine to events like Gamergate.

Among these users was Larry Sanger, who noted that while Grokipedia still has a lot of areas of improvement, it is already very promising. “My initial impression, looking at my own article and poking around here and there, is that Grokipedia is very OK. The jury’s still out as to whether it’s actually better than Wikipedia. But at this point I would have to say “maybe!” He wrote in a post on X. 

Musk responded to Sanger’s comments, stating that the Wikipedia co-founder’s observations are “accurate.” The xAI founder also noted in a separate X post that even in its V0.1 form, Grokipedia is already better than Wikipedia. 

Why Grokipedia exists 

During an interview on the Tucker Carlson Show, Sanger point out that Wikipedia has become a far cry from his initial vision for the online encyclopedia, and a lot of this was because of the its “Reliable sources/Perennial sources” page, which categories publications and sources into tiers of credibility. Sanger noted that the list leaned heavily left, with conservative publications getting effectively blacklisted in favor of their more liberal.

Musk responded to Sanger’s comments by stating that Grokipedia will be created as a step towards xAI’s broader goal of “understanding the Universe.” He added that Grokipedia, which will use xAI’s Grok, would provide broader sourcing and a freer exchange of information compared to Wikipedia’s current system. 

One month after Elon Musk’s comments, Grokipedia has gone live in its V0.1 form.

Tesla is marking the 15-year anniversary of its Fremont Factory in California, the first automotive mass-manufacturing plant acquired by the electric car maker. 

Since opening in 2010, the Fremont Factory has produced all four “S3XY” models while creating tens of thousands of jobs and investing billions of dollars in the region.

Celebrating 15 years of EV production

The Fremont Factory’s milestone was celebrated by the official Tesla Manufacturing account on X, which posted a photo of several Teslas forming a “15” in front of the facility’s iconic white facade. As per the electric vehicle maker, the Fremont Factory has now produced 3.6 million vehicles so far, and it has also created over 20,000 jobs in the state. 

“15 years ago, we opened Fremont factory. Today, the Fremont team is producing all 4 S3XY models, totaling 3.6M vehicles made so far. 20k+ California jobs created w/ billions of dollars invested,” the official Tesla Manufacturing account on X wrote in its post.

The Fremont Factory’s transformation

Tesla acquired the Fremont Factory from the defunct NUMMI joint venture between General Motors and Toyota in May 2010 for $42 million. The facility had produced more than 8 million vehicles under GM and Toyota over 26 years. Following its acquisition, Tesla retooled the 5.3-million-square-foot plant to support the production of the Model S sedan.

Over the past 15 years, the factory has evolved into Tesla’s primary North American production hub, assembling the Model S, 3, X, and Y. Annual output has exceeded 550,000 vehicles, including nearly 560,000 produced in 2023 alone. Expectations are high that other products, such as the next-generation Roadster and Optimus, might be produced in the Fremont Factory as well.

Tesla has opened its first job listing specifically for the next-generation Roadster, hinting at some substantial progress on the company’s long-awaited flagship all-electric supercar. 

The company is looking for a Manufacturing Engineer to support the development and launch of new battery manufacturing equipment, which would likely be pivotal to the Roaster, considering its teased performance and range.

Tesla’s next-generation Roadster batteries

As per Tesla’s Careers website, the Roadster Manufacturing Engineer’s tasks would include ideating equipment concepts, developing specifications, validating processes, and addressing production bottlenecks. Tesla emphasized that the position involves collaboration across domestic and international sites, supporting equipment factory acceptance tests and assisting operations teams, with expected travel under 50 percent. 

“In this role, you will take large-scale manufacturing systems for new battery products and architectures from the early concept development stage through equipment launch, optimization, and handover to local operations teams. Battery development is at the heart of our company, and this is an exciting opportunity to work directly on the central challenges for the all-new Roadster product architecture while still in its early development stages,” the job listing noted.

The opening marks one of the first public hiring efforts explicitly tied to the next-gen Roadster, suggesting that the vehicle’s development might be approaching its initial manufacturing phase. The fact that the new Roadster’s first job opening is related to its battery is interesting, as the vehicle was unveiled with a range of 620 miles way back in late 2018. Though at the time, Elon Musk also noted that the Roadster would be fitted with a 200 kWh battery, twice the size of the batteries used in the Model S and Model X. 

Musk teases “most epic demo ever” and fuels Roadster speculation

Back in July, Elon Musk teased a major demonstration at the Tesla Design Studio in Hawthorne, California, scheduled for the end of the year. Musk shared on X that he had just visited the studio, calling the upcoming event the “most epic demo ever by one of year. Ever.”

The statement immediately prompted speculations that Tesla may finally be ready to reveal the production version of the next-generation Roadster. Originally unveiled alongside the Semi in 2018, the Roadster has remained under wraps while the company scaled production of other models. Since its unveiling, however, the Roadster’s rollout has been pushed back in favor of the original Model Y, the refreshed Model S and X, the Cybertruck, the refreshed Model 3, the Semi, and the new Model Y.

At the time of its unveiling, the next-generation Roadster was teased to be nothing short of a monster, with a 0-60 mph time of 1.99 seconds and a top speed of over 250 mph. Elon Musk also teased that the next-generation Roadster would have a range of 620 miles per charge. Later, the CEO noted that the Roadster should be able to achieve a 0-60 mph launch of less than 1 second, thanks to the vehicle’s SpaceX package. Musk has also noted recently that the next-generation Roadster would be “beyond a car.”