Tesla’s current Referral Program offers a variety of incentives for owners who wish to share the Tesla experience with their network of friends and acquaintances. Among these prizes is a free Model Y that’s granted quarterly to a lucky Tesla owner. But inasmuch as the program has been ongoing for some time now, accounts of Model Y raffle winners have been very rare.
Back in March, reports emerged that the first Tesla Model Y Referral Program winner has been drawn, and the lucky owner was from Taiwan. During the brief discussions of the raffle online, it was revealed that the Taiwan-based Tesla owner only had two referrals, which makes the win even more remarkable. And as it turned out, it appears that the next free Model Y winner will follow the same trend.
Tesla Model 3 owner-enthusiast Tesla Raj recently featured one of the recent winners of the electric car maker’s free Model Y raffle on his YouTube channel. The owners, Teresa and Mark, provided some interesting insights about what exactly happens when one wins a free Tesla Model Y. Needless to say, the experience was something truly noteworthy.
According to Mark, he and his wife had bought a Tesla Model 3 after their 13-year-old Hyundai Veracruz needed to be replaced. Being retired himself and having worked on software and hardware, Mark knew that cars were becoming more and more connected. Thus, the decision to purchase a Model 3 was made, since it was a vehicle that would likely last the couple for some time. Interestingly enough, this was not to be the case.
Mark and Teresa were casual Tesla owners, though they did get one referral credited to their account. And as luck would have it, they eventually received an email from the electric car maker informing them that they had won a free Model Y. Mark admitted that he was initially skeptical of the email, especially considering the prevalence of online scams today. Teresa was just as skeptical, though both decided to respond to the email just the same.
Needless to say, the email that the couple received was not a scam. It was real, and a free Model Y was indeed coming to the couple. Teresa and Mark exchanged calls and emails with Tesla, with a representative from the company asking the couple to sign some forms online. As indicated by the Tesla representative that reached out to the couple, the company would create a reservation number for the free Model Y on the back end so Teresa and Mark could avoid the $100 deposit. Interestingly enough, the couple was not asked to configure their free Model Y.
As noted by Mark in a conversation with the Tesla Raj host, Tesla pretty much threw every option available in the free all-electric crossover, such as the Full Self-Driving suite and the Performance Package. The company even gave the couple a Midnight Silver Model Y, which was the same color as their Model 3. That being said, Tesla sent over a Model Y with black interior to the couple, which is different from the white interior Teresa and Mark ordered for their Model 3. The delivery process of the free Model Y was seamless and touchless, and after some inspections of the vehicle, the couple received their free Model Y.
Mark and Teresa’s experience shows that Tesla’s Referral Program is definitely ongoing, and free vehicles are indeed making their way to lucky owners. That being said, those who end up winning free Model Ys in the future should expect to pay about $401.00 in their Tesla account online to cover various fees, so the crossover is not completely free. As noted by Mark, though, such an amount is minuscule considering the cost of the free vehicle. The couple’s experience also highlighted the insane demand for the company’s vehicles, as the Model 3 that the free Model Y replaced found a buyer just a day after it was posted for sale.
Watch Tesla Raj’s feature on the free Model Y winners in the video below.
Elon Musk
xAI’s Grok approved for Pentagon classified systems: report
Under the agreement, Grok can be deployed in systems handling classified intelligence analysis, weapons development, and battlefield operations.
Elon Musk’s xAI has signed an agreement with the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to allow Grok to be used in classified military systems.
Previously, Anthropic’s Claude had been the only AI system approved for the most sensitive military work, but a dispute over usage safeguards has reportedly prompted the Pentagon to broaden its options, as noted in a report from Axios.
Under the agreement, Grok can be deployed in systems handling classified intelligence analysis, weapons development, and battlefield operations.
The publication reported that xAI agreed to the Pentagon’s requirement that its technology be usable for “all lawful purposes,” a standard Anthropic has reportedly resisted due to alleged ethical restrictions tied to mass surveillance and autonomous weapons use.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to meet with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei in what sources expect to be a tense meeting, with the publication hinting that the Pentagon could designate Anthropic a “supply chain risk” if the company does not lift its safeguards.
Axios stated that replacing Claude fully might be technically challenging even if xAI or other alternative AI systems take its place. That being said, other AI systems are already in use by the DoD.
Grok already operates in the Pentagon’s unclassified systems alongside Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Google is reportedly close to an agreement that will result in Gemini being used for classified use, while OpenAI’s progress toward classified deployment is described as slower but still feasible.
The publication noted that the Pentagon continues talks with several AI companies as it prepares for potential changes in classified AI sourcing.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk denies Starlink’s price cuts are due to Amazon Kuiper
“This has nothing to do with Kuiper, we’re just trying to make Starlink more affordable to a broader audience,” Musk wrote in a post on X.
Elon Musk has pushed back on claims that Starlink’s recent price reductions are tied to Amazon’s Kuiper project.
In a post on X, Musk responded directly to a report suggesting that Starlink was cutting prices and offering free hardware to partners ahead of a planned IPO and increased competition from Kuiper.
“This has nothing to do with Kuiper, we’re just trying to make Starlink more affordable to a broader audience,” Musk wrote in a post on X. “The lower the cost, the more Starlink can be used by people who don’t have much money, especially in the developing world.”
The speculation originated from a post summarizing a report from The Information, which ran with the headline “SpaceX’s Starlink Makes Land Grab as Amazon Threat Looms.” The report stated that SpaceX is aggressively cutting prices and giving free hardware to distribution partners, which was interpreted as a reaction to Amazon’s Kuiper’s upcoming rollout and possible IPO.
In a way, Musk’s comments could be quite accurate considering Starlink’s current scale. The constellation currently has more than 9,700 satellites in operation today, making it by far the largest satellite broadband network in operation. It has also managed to grow its user base to 10 million active customers across more than 150 countries worldwide.
Amazon’s Kuiper, by comparison, has launched approximately 211 satellites to date, as per data from SatelliteMap.Space, some of which were launched by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. Starlink surpassed that number in early January 2020, during the early buildout of its first-generation network.
Lower pricing also aligns with Starlink’s broader expansion strategy. SpaceX continues to deploy satellites at a rapid pace using Falcon 9, and future launches aboard Starship are expected to significantly accelerate the constellation’s growth. A larger network improves capacity and global coverage, which can support a broader customer base.
In that context, price reductions can be viewed as a way to match expanding supply with growing demand. Musk’s companies have historically used aggressive pricing strategies to drive adoption at scale, particularly when vertical integration allows costs to decline over time.
News
Tesla Giga Berlin makes a statement of solidarity amid IG Metall conflict
The display comes as tensions between Tesla and IG Metall continue to escalate.
Tesla Giga Berlin is sending a strong message of solidarity amid its ongoing legal dispute with German union IG Metall.
In a post on social media platform X, Giga Berlin plant manager André Thierig shared an image of the facility’s lobby covered with a large banner that reads: “Progress. Innovation. Success.” He added that the slogan reflects what the facility has stood for since Day One.
“Our lobby at Giga Berlin covered in a huge banner these days. Progress. Innovation. Success – this is what we stand for since we started production in 2022 and how we will go into our future!” Thierig wrote in his post on X.
The display comes as tensions between Tesla and IG Metall continue to escalate.
The dispute began after Tesla accused a union representative of secretly recording a works council meeting at Giga Berlin. Tesla stated that it filed a criminal complaint after the alleged incident. Police later confirmed they had seized a computer belonging to an IG Metall member as part of their investigation.
“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 on X at the time.
IG Metall denied the accusation and characterized Tesla’s move as an election tactic ahead of upcoming works council elections. The union subsequently filed a defamation complaint against Thierig. Authorities later confirmed that an investigation had been opened in connection with the matter.
Giga Berlin began production in 2022 and has since become one of Tesla’s key European manufacturing hubs, producing the Model Y, the company’s best-selling vehicle. The facility has expanded capacity over the past years despite environmental protests, labor disputes, and regulatory scrutiny.
xAI’s Grok approved for Pentagon classified systems: report
Elon Musk denies Starlink’s price cuts are due to Amazon Kuiper
