

News
Twitter bans third-party clients in developer term update
Twitter updated its developer rules to ban third-party clients on Thursday following the recent blocking of several apps’ access to the platform this week.
Some of the apps, such as Tweetbot, which provides a subscriber-only ad-free Twitter experience, would compete with the platform’s subscription service, Twitter Blue. This week several major third-party Twitter applications lost access to the platform. On January 14, The Information reported that the outage was an internal decision by Twitter.
In a statement, Twitterriffic, another third-party app that provided an ad-free Twitter experience for $9.99 per year, said the app has been discontinued by a Twitter that “we no longer recognize as trustworthy nor want to work with any longer.”
Twitterriffic encouraged its customers who subscribed through iOS to consider not requesting a refund from Apple. “The loss of ongoing, recurring revenue from Twitterrific is already going to hurt our business significantly, and any refunds will come directly out of our pockets,” Twitteriffic stated.
Several third-party clients charge Twitter users for various services that range from scheduling a tweet to accessing the platform without using the Twitter app or website. When Tapbots launched the newest version of Tweetbot in 2021, it introduced a subscription-based payment requirement. This required users to pay either $0.99 per month or $5.99 per year. Tweetbot is but one example of the many third-party applications that are now no longer able to access the platform.
An update to Twitter’s developer rules on Thursday explained why Twitter banned third party-apps from accessing the platform. The update followed the company’s tweet from its Twitter Developer account that said it was enforcing its long-standing API rules, which would result in some apps not working.
Twitter is enforcing its long-standing API rules. That may result in some apps not working.
— Developers (@XDevelopers) January 17, 2023
According to Twitter’s Developer Agreement, the platform defined the term Twitter Applications as its “consumer facing products, services, applications, websites, web pages, platforms, and other offerings, including without limitation, those offered via Twitter.com and Twitter’s mobile applications.”
Twitter’s Restrictions on Use of Licensed Materials further elaborates that developers will not “use or access the Licensed Materials to create or attempt to create a substitute or similar service or product to the Twitter Application.” This completely eliminates third-party apps, especially those competing with Twitter Blue.
In November, The Wall Street Journal noted that Twitter hasn’t recorded an annual profit since 2019 and posted a loss in eight years of the past decade. In 2021, Twitter recorded a net loss of $221.4 million. When Elon Musk purchased the platform in October 2022, he has since commented about the platform’s close call with bankruptcy and moved to save it from that fate.
The new CEO revamped Twitter Blue, the platform’s own subscription service, merging it with verification and later relaunching the service. Although Twitter Blue isn’t an ad-free Twitter experience, it does offer users an ad-free news experience for those reading articles inside the app. Other features include bookmarking folders, themes, and personalization–similar to what several third-party apps would provide users for a fee. Twitter noted that it hopes to offer fewer ads for Twitter Blue subscribers in the future.
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Elon Musk
Teslas will self-deliver to customers, Elon Musk says: here’s when
Teslas will soon drive themselves to customers, Elon Musk says

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has an extremely busy month for himself and his company in June if all goes according to plan.
Not only is Tesla planning to launch its Robotaxi platform in Austin, Texas, next month, but Musk is also now indicating that Teslas will self-deliver to customers in June as well.
Musk has said for some time that Tesla vehicles would soon be capable of driving to customers without a driver within the car. Initially, it seemed like the company would do this in the areas close to its U.S. factories – the Greater Austin, Texas, area, and potentially in Northern California’s Bay Area of San Francisco, where the company’s Fremont Factory operates.
Upon confirmation that Tesla has been testing driverless Robotaxi rides in Austin for the past several days, Musk brought forth a new detail that fans of the company will love to hear: Teslas will soon drive themselves to customers, eliminating the need for trips to the showroom for delivery.
How soon? Musk says next month:
For the past several days, Tesla has been testing self-driving Model Y cars (no one in driver’s seat) on Austin public streets with no incidents.
A month ahead of schedule.
Next month, first self-delivery from factory to customer.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 29, 2025
There is no doubt that the bigger news within Musk’s X post is that it is on track for the launch of the Robotaxi platform. Tesla has been touting its prowess in self-driving for several years. As other companies have executed, Tesla has taken a more unorthodox approach by utilizing only cameras and being much more reserved with its rollout of driverless software.
While Full Self-Driving is consistently ranked at the top of the current Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), it is not fully autonomous. That is set to change, and not only will it yield the results of what will hopefully be a successful Robotaxi fleet, but also a vehicle delivery process that makes buying a vehicle more convenient than it already is from Tesla, with no hassle, no dealership jargon, and no negotiating.
The launch of the Robotaxi platform is set for Austin on June 12, according to Bloomberg, where roughly 10 Model Y SUVs will make their way around the city initially. Tesla will expand as safety is proven, which is the utmost priority.
Musk also said later on X that people should be able to fly to Austin and hail a Robotaxi by the end of June.
Elon Musk
Tesla lands on date for Robotaxi launch in Austin: report
Tesla has reportedly landed on a tentative date to launch the Robotaxi platform in Austin.

Tesla has reportedly landed on a set date for its launch of the Robotaxi platform in Austin, Texas.
Bloomberg is reporting that Tesla has discussed June 12 internally, and there is still the potential for it to change.
The date comes after Tesla tested the driverless ride-sharing platform on public roads in Austin, and has been for several weeks. The report said that Tesla started doing it this week, and CEO Elon Musk confirmed on X by saying:
“For the past several days, Tesla has been testing self-driving Model Y cars (no one in driver’s seat) on Austin public streets with no incidents.”
The report indicates a person was in the vehicle, but not in the driver’s seat. Instead, a Tesla engineer sat in the passenger seat of a Model Y, “which drove autonomously with no remote operation.”
Tesla set for ‘golden age of autonomous’ as Robotaxi nears, ‘dark chapter’ ends: Wedbush
The testing has successfully gone on a month ahead of the company’s deadline of June 30.
Currently, Tesla’s plans for the initial rollout of the suite are extremely limited. There will only be ten vehicles at first, and the riders will be invited by the company. This is an effort that puts safety at the forefront of this trial period, and will expand as time goes on.
It could be sooner than expected, as Musk also said that anyone would likely be able to visit Austin and take a ride in the Robotaxi by the end of June.
For the past several days, Tesla has been testing self-driving Model Y cars (no one in driver’s seat) on Austin public streets with no incidents.
A month ahead of schedule.
Next month, first self-delivery from factory to customer.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 29, 2025
The report and subsequent announcement come after many media outlets reported Tesla was not testing Robotaxi in any capacity. Some had even considered the project a total failure even before the June launch date, a typical tone most media take with the company.
Tesla Robotaxi deemed a total failure by media — even though it hasn’t been released
Tesla has not been great at meeting its own timelines, but it has been adamant that it would reach this June deadline for several months.
Now that it appears Tesla is at an all-systems-go mentality for the Robotaxi launch, it will be interesting to see how quickly it can expand from its initial testing.
Shares are up just over 1.3 percent as of 10:30 a.m. on the East Coast. They are up 24 percent over the past 30 days, and down just 4.5 percent for the year so far.
The Robotaxi fleet will help to bolster Tesla’s position as a leader in autonomy, something it has already essentially achieved through its successful operation of the Supervised Full Self-Driving suite.
Elon Musk
Tesla investors demand 40-hour workweek from Elon Musk
Pension fund leaders push the Tesla board to require 40 hrs/wk from Elon Musk. Should Tesla enforce this? Or simply trust Musk?

Pension fund leaders with Tesla investments are urging the company’s board to mandate Elon Musk dedicate at least 40 hours per week to the electric vehicle maker, citing a looming crisis.
The group holds a combined 7.9 million TSLA shares and expressed alarm over Tesla’s challenges in a Wednesday letter to board chair Robyn Denholm.
“Tesla’s stock price volatility, declining sales, as well as disconcerting reports regarding the company’s human rights practices, and a plummeting global reputation are cause for serious concern,” the investors wrote.
They attributed many issues to Musk’s external activities, including his role in the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The pension fund leaders criticized the board for failing to ensure Musk’s “full-time attention” on Tesla. The group includes the SOC Investment Group, the American Federation of Teachers, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, and Oregon State Treasurer Elizabeth Steiner.
The investors’ letter comes as the Tesla board plans for Elon Musk’s next compensation plan, following the Delaware Court of Chancery’s 2023 ruling to rescind his $56 billion 2018 package. Besides a 40-hour workweek requirement, they also called for a clear succession plan and limits on directors’ external board commitments to strengthen governance. The letter highlighted concerns about board independence. Tesla recently added former Chipotle CFO Jack Hartung, who previously worked with Musk’s brother, Kimbal Musk, as a Tesla board member.
The group’s letter reveals where the position of some investors as Elon Musk forges ahead with Tesla’s future plans. Musk’s broader ambitions for Tesla were evident during the Q4 and FY 2023 earnings call, where he envisioned the company as an AI and robotics powerhouse with “truly immense capability and power.” He emphasized his desire for 25% voting control to maintain influence without complete control.
“You know, we’ve had a lot of challenges with Institutional Shareholder Services, ISS — I call them ISIS — and Glass Lewis, you know, which there’s a lot of activists that basically infiltrate those organizations and have strange ideas about what should be done,” Musk said.
As Musk plans to focus more on Tesla, alongside xAI and SpaceX, the investors’ demands underscore tensions between his expansive vision and shareholder expectations. With Tesla navigating stock volatility and reputational challenges, the board faces pressure to align Musk’s leadership with the company’s long-term stability.
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