Tesla Motors, Inc. rebranded as Tesla, Inc.
Tesla Motors has now officially been renamed Tesla. The renaming of the multibillion dollar company reflects its recent expansion beyond automobiles to energy storage. The official name of Tesla was anticipated to change after the change of its URL last year from Teslamotors.com to Tesla.com.
Tesla officially acquired SolarCity in November 2016, marking its committed focus to solar energy storage. Since then Tesla has developed solar energy storage products for commercial and home use.
The about page on Tesla’s website sums up its change:
“Tesla is not just an automaker, but also a technology and design company with a focus on energy innovation.”
Apple to make iPhones in India
According to Priyank Kharge, minister of information technology and biotechnology in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, Apple will start a manufacturing operation in Karnataka.
He expressed his approval on Twitter, “Apple’s intentions to make iPhones in Bengaluru will foster cutting-edge technology ecosystem and supply chain development in the state.”
The capital of Karnataka, Bengaluru, is a technology hub where Apple has already based to develop software and design.
Although Apple has not officially confirmed the plan of manufacturing in Karnataka, Apple held several meetings with government officials to plan for the huge investment.
Increase of AdBlock Software Usage
PageFair, a startup that works to sustain the open web and assist companies that suffer from digital advertisement blocking, reported a 30 percent annual increase in ad blocking.
In total the report estimates 11 percent of internet users used some form of ad blocking software last year. This accounts for more than 600 million devices and billions of ads blocked.
AdBlock has accumulated criticism from technology giants such as Facebook and Google which host billions of ads. These companies have been fighting against Adblock software, but new startups have popped up to reintroduce ad blocking tools. Critics argue that by blocking ads, users are denying content creators the revenue from ads that oftentimes make up the majority of creators’ revenue.
Uber CEO leaves Trump’s Advisory Council
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick is resigning from President Donald Trump’s economic council, according to a memo he wrote to his employees.
After facing criticism from Uber staff, employees and social media, Kalanick revealed his intention to quit Thursday.
“Joining the group was not meant to be an endorsement of the president or his agenda but unfortunately it has been interpreted to be exactly that,” Kalanick wrote in his memo.
Trump recently issued an executive order banning entry to people from seven Muslim-majority countries. The executive order left tech companies outraged, as many rely on immigrant labor and are immigrant-founded. Many companies have actively opposed Trump’s stance.
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