Elon Musk intends to impose a small fee on new X members to grant them the ability to make posts on the social network and to address the issue of automated accounts.

Musk responded to an X account that had mentioned modifications on X’s website by stating that imposing a little cost on new accounts was the sole method to prevent the overwhelming influx of automated programs, known as bots.

“The current state of artificial intelligence, including troll farms, can easily pass the ‘are you a bot’ test,” Musk stated, alluding to techniques such as CAPTCHA.

The policy was initially being tested to help reduce spam and improve the experience for users overall.

— X Daily News (@xDaily) April 15, 2024

In response to another user, Musk then stated that newly created accounts would have the ability to post without incurring a fee after a period of three months.

Part of what makes X special is that anyone can just post without paying

We definitely need to stop the bots, but what about having the option to pay OR do something extremely computationally expensive (like mining some dogecoin or something) https://t.co/F1FGNsYU5S

— Whole Mars Catalog (Supervised) (@WholeMarsBlog) April 15, 2024

Currently, there is a lack of information regarding the timeline for implementing this policy and the potential charges that may be imposed on new members, which is consistent with the pattern of limited disclosure often seen in announcements pertaining to the social network.

In October of last year, X implemented a policy of charging new members who have not been verified a fee of $1 per year in both New Zealand and the Philippines. Users that register for the site from these regions will have the ability to view the posts, but they will not be able to engage with them. In order to publish, endorse, share, respond to, save, and cite posts, a monetary charge was required. Musk may implement a charge that is comparable to fees in other areas.

In a recent announcement, X stated that the platform would be initiating a significant elimination of spam accounts. Users were cautioned that their follower count could be impacted. Nevertheless, by implementing a strategy to impose fees on new members, the social media corporation appears to be striving to address the issue of bots more effectively.

Today, we're kicking off a significant, proactive initiative to eliminate accounts that violate our Rules against platform manipulation and spam. While we aim for accuracy in the accounts we remove, we're casting a wide net to ensure X remains secure and free of bots. As a…

— Safety (@Safety) April 4, 2024

Although Musk has expressed concerns about AI bots, X recently updated its policy to state that public posts may be utilized for training machine learning algorithms or artificial intelligence models. In July 2023, Musk mentioned that his AI company, xAI, would utilize public posts for training models.

In recent weeks, xAI has introduced its Grok chatbot to premium users of X, who are charged a monthly fee of $8. The chatbot was previously accessible to users who subscribed to the Premium+ tier for $16 per month. Last week, Fortune reported that X intends to offer Grok to users for composing posts.

According to a reliable source, Tesla management informed employees on Monday that the recent layoffs, which resulted in a significant reduction of staff in certain divisions, including high-performing individuals, were primarily a result of the company’s weak financial performance.

The team was informed of the layoffs only one week prior to Tesla’s anticipated release of its first-quarter earnings. Tesla’s decision to take this step is a response to the ongoing electric vehicle (EV) price competition, which has caused a decline in the company’s profit margin for multiple consecutive quarters. In 2023, the corporation achieved a remarkable milestone by delivering a total of 1.81 million automobiles, setting a new record. However, Tesla’s profit margins were negatively impacted as they constantly reduced prices in order to increase sales and gain a competitive advantage.

Tesla has notified its employees that around 14,000 workers, which accounts for over 10% of the global organization’s workforce, will be laid off. These job cuts will affect Tesla’s businesses in the United States, Europe, and China. The layoffs, which impacted staff in all departments and at various levels of seniority, were implemented to decrease expenses and enhance efficiency in anticipation of the company’s forthcoming expansion, as stated in an internal email from CEO Elon Musk that has been accessed.

High achievers also reduce
According to two anonymous sources who spoke, a significant number of the people that were let go were highly skilled and accomplished. A source expressed astonishment at the magnitude of skilled personnel laid off and observed that a significant percentage of those impacted were engaged in projects that had been deprioritized by Tesla. The source refrained from specifying the particular projects.

According to sources, certain divisions experienced layoffs that exceeded the 10% reduction mentioned in the companywide email. Management informed me that a reduction of 20% was made to their workforce.

“I experienced a 20% reduction in my team, including some highly skilled players,” they stated.

The shakeup is occurring concurrently with Musk’s ongoing efforts to steer the company towards the development of fully autonomous vehicles. Tesla has lately abandoned its ambitions to manufacture a more affordable electric vehicle (EV) with a starting price of approximately $25,000. Instead, they have decided to utilize the ongoing development of a foundational platform to support a purported robotaxi, which Elon Musk claims will be unveiled on August 8th.

According to his biographer, Walter Isaacson, Musk made an effort in the past to give priority to the project focused on developing vehicles specifically for robotaxi services. In 2022, he informed the employees of his desire for a “clean robotaxi” devoid of any steering wheel or pedals. Tesla’s lead designer, Franz von Holzhausen, and engineering VP, Lars Moravy, clandestinely spearheaded the development of the affordable electric vehicle (EV) project and eventually persuaded Elon Musk to pursue both options. However, recent reports indicate that Musk has now reversed his decision.

High-level executives depart
Two prominent executives, Drew Baglino, Tesla’s Senior Vice President of Powertrain and Energy, and Rohan Patel, Vice President of Public Policy and Business Development, have both departed from the business.

Patel informed me that he made the decision to resign from Tesla on Sunday evening due to significant general changes occurring within the firm. Patel, who had been routinely interacting with Tesla customers and enthusiasts on X in recent months, chose not to provide detailed information. In his message, he acknowledged that it would be more prudent for him to refrain from making conjectures. “Tesla will experience a significant increase in strength and resilience, and change will be beneficial,” he further stated.

Baglino informed me that he decided to depart from Tesla after a period of 18 years. “I am satisfied with the positive influence I have had; my leadership team is competent, and the energy businesses under my responsibility are performing well,” he expressed in a message.

“Baglino’s responsibility included overseeing powerdrives and new battery projects. According to Sandeep Rao, the head of research at Leverage Shares, a financial services company based in London, there is a perception that there is currently a lack of sustainable innovation. This perception may be one of the reasons why Baglino is leaving,” speculated Rao in an interview.

Baglino’s resignation occurred shortly after the departure of Tesla’s former CFO, Zachary Kirkhorn. In January, Musk expressed his desire on X, then known as Twitter, to obtain approximately 25% voting control of Tesla. His intention is to devote more attention to the firm itself than to his other ventures and contribute to Tesla’s leadership in the fields of AI and robots.

 

The world may soon witness the potential inauguration of the inaugural military maneuver in the Earth’s orbit as the US Space Force fulfills its purpose by employing military force in space.

The Space Force, which has faced ridicule for adopting the Star Trek logo as its emblem, possessing its own equine companion, and its debatable theme melody, has recently intensified its operations in the realm of space. In addition to dispatching an astronaut to the International Space Station, the organization intends to carry out a Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) mission, codenamed VICTUS HAZE.

The test will involve two firms, Rocket Lab National Security and True Anomaly, demonstrating a realistic response to a potential attack in a space domain awareness demonstration conducted in orbit. According to Ars Technia, the practice may include one satellite exhibiting unusual behavior or deliberately moving closer to the other. The second satellite would subsequently react to protect its own satellite or dissuade the adversary satellite from launching an attack.

Despite the seemingly fictional nature of these events, the United States is concerned about potential confrontations in outer space, as China is carrying out numerous enigmatic experiments in the region of space close to Earth.

The quantity and intricacy of hostile dangers in space are continuously expanding. “In order to promptly address these threats, it is imperative that we provide the United States’ most cutting-edge TacRS capabilities,” stated Lt. Col. MacKenzie Birchenough, the Materiel Leader for Space Safari, upon announcing the demonstration scheduled for August 2023. “VICTUS HAZE will enhance our capacity to evaluate potential dangers and maintain our unrestricted ability to navigate in space.”

“We acknowledge the substantial potential to utilize the advancements in the commercial space industry to counter China, which is currently seen as America’s primary threat,” stated Col. Bryon McClain, the program executive officer for Space Domain Awareness and Combat Power at Space Systems Command, specifically mentioning China.

The United States possesses the most pioneering space industry globally. VICTUS HAZE aims to showcase our capacity to effectively address reckless conduct in space while operating in situations that closely resemble real-world scenarios.

The project is anticipated to have a total cost of approximately $92 million, with True Anomaly securing approximately $30 million of internal private finance for it. True Anomaly is currently in the process of conducting more demonstrations prior to VICTUS HAZE. If all progresses as planned, the US Space Force is expected to execute its inaugural military exercise in orbit by 2025.