Electronics
Tesla Buyout Trial Mocked By Shareholders
SAN FRANCISCO – Lawyers for Tesla shareholders who are suing Tesla CEO Elon Musk over a misleading tweet want a federal judge to deny Musk’s request to move an upcoming trial from California to Texas.
Musk claims that possible jurors in the San Francisco federal court where the case was filed four years ago will treat him unfairly.
However, Tesla shareholders’ attorneys asserted in a Wednesday filing that there are no legal grounds to move the upcoming trial, which is an Aug. 7, 2018, tweet in which Musk indicated he had lined up financing for a Tesla buyout. A deal that never materialized and resulted in a $40 million settlement with U.S. securities regulators.
The lawyers also said that Musk is the only one to blame for any bad impressions because he is so active on Twitter, which he owns and runs now.
For Better Or Worse, Musk Is a Celebrity
In their 19-page response to the transfer request, the shareholders’ lawyers said, “For better or worse, Musk is a celebrity who gets attention from media around the world.” “His Twitter presence alone is partially to blame for this. Musk would be practically untriable before a jury if all required to exclude a jury pool were “bad” attention, given his penchant for drawing “negative” media.
The filing comes less than a week after Musk’s lawyer, requested U.S. District Judge Edward Chen to transfer the case to Texas, where Musk plans to relocate Tesla‘s headquarters in 2021 after almost two decades in Silicon Valley. Spiro is requesting a delay in the commencement of jury selection, which is currently set for Tuesday if the trial is not shifted.
Telsa Shareholders Upset
The lawyers for the shareholders said that their 2018 case would never have been allowed in a federal court in Texas because Musk’s tweet about buying out Tesla happened when Tesla was based in Palo Alto, California. Also on the list of witnesses are several former Tesla executives who live in California and would have to deal with a lot of trouble if the trial was moved to Texas.
Chen has set up a Friday hearing for more arguments about Musk’s request to move or delay the trial. The judge has already decided that Musk’s tweet about the buyout Tesla was false, so it will be up to a jury to decide if he was careless when he sent it out and if it cost Tesla shareholders money.
After correcting for two stock splits since 2018, Tesla’s shares are now worth approximately six times what they were at the time of Musk’s phony buyout comments.
Musk has been seen as a tech pioneer in the San Francisco Bay Area for years, but Spiro thinks the bad press has hurt his reputation since he bought Twitter for $44 billion in October. Since then, Musk has fired or forced out more than half of Twitter’s employees, and his critics say he has taken away the service’s protections against fake news and bad content.
Juror Bias A Likelihood
According to Spiro, the opposition to such initiatives, which Musk has defended as steps to reduce Twitter’s losses and maintain free speech rights, raised the likelihood that potential jurors will be biased against him. Among other things, Spiro mentioned the likelihood that possible jurors from the San Francisco Bay Area were recently laid off at Twitter or knew someone who was laid off after Musk’s takeover.
To refute that claim, the shareholders’ counsel of Tesla highlighted the over 200 jury questionnaires sent to Chen. According to the attorneys, only two or three jurors admitted to knowing someone who works at Twitter.
SOURCE – (AP)
Electronics
Dyson To Axe Around 1,000 Jobs In Britain
Dyson, a vacuum cleaner company, will slash approximately 1,000 positions in Britain as part of a global restructuring.
Dyson | NY Times Image
Dyson To Axe Around 1,000 Jobs In Britain
James Dyson, the inventor of the bagless cleaner, founded the company, which employs 3,500 people in Britain, including at its R&D facility in Malmesbury, West England.
On Tuesday, Chief Executive Hanno Kirner stated, “We have grown quickly and, like all companies, we review our global structures on a regular basis to ensure we are prepared for the future.” As a result, we are suggesting organizational modifications that may lead to redundancy.
Dyson | Joe Graham Image
Dyson To Axe Around 1,000 Jobs In Britain
“Dyson works in highly competitive global marketplaces where innovation and change are fast. We understand that we must always be entrepreneurial and adaptable – characteristics that Dyson has long valued.
SOURCE | AP
Business
Sony Says Focus Is On Creativity, With Games, Movies, Music, Sensors, IP, And Not Gadgets
TOKYO — Sony, a Japanese electronics and entertainment company, says it will focus on innovation in movies, animation, and video games rather than traditional gadgetry.
Its CEO, Kenichiro Yoshida, described the company’s plan Thursday, saying Sony was assisting creative workers in delivering what he called “kando,” a moving experience.
Yoshida would not comment on claims that Tokyo-based Sony and Apollo Global Management are interested in acquiring Paramount Global.
Sony | Pixa Bay Image
Sony Says Focus Is On Creativity, With Games, Movies, Music, Sensors, IP, And Not Gadgets
Yoshida stated that the business now focuses on the creative process rather than valuing prior items such as the Walkman portable music player and Trinitron color televisions. He stated that “synergies” are no longer defined by entertainment and electronics but by intellectual property encompassing animation, music, gaming, and films.
In an online briefing, he stated, “We will continue to support people’s creativity through our technology.”
Sony is adapting to harsher circumstances, as competitors produce cheaper but competitive gadgets. According to critics, pursuing careers in film, music, and other forms of entertainment can be financially difficult.
Beginning with the acquisition of EMI Music Publishing in 2018, Sony has invested over 1.5 trillion yen ($10 billion) in the last six years to boost its content creation.
Sony | Pixa Bay Image
Sony Says Focus Is On Creativity, With Games, Movies, Music, Sensors, IP, And Not Gadgets
In 2021, it bought Crunchyroll, which has over 13 million paid customers and distributes Japanese cartoons worldwide. Another was Yoasobi, a Japanese music duet that uses Vocaloid technology, or singing voice synthesizer software, and has gained a global following.
Sony’s real-time computer technology, which records “this moment,” as Yoshida called it, is employed in sports cameras because it can catch fast-moving subjects without distortion
According to Yoshida, it is also utilized for news coverage and editing, 3D video and computer graphics, including successful movies like “Godzilla Minus One” and games based on human athlete movements
Sony | AP News Image
Sony Says Focus Is On Creativity, With Games, Movies, Music, Sensors, IP, And Not Gadgets
Sony recently recorded a quarterly profit of 189 billion yen ($1.2 billion), up from 141 billion yen the year before. The PlayStation gaming machine manufacturer’s quarterly revenue increased 14% to 3.48 trillion yen ($22 billion).
However, for the fiscal year ending March 31, Sony’s profit fell 3% to 970 billion yen ($6.2 billion) due to poor performance in its financial services sector, which will be largely split off next year.
SOURCE – (AP)
Business
Amazon’s Self-Driving Robotaxi Unit Zoox Under Investigation By US After 2 Rear-End Crashes
DETROIT — The US government’s highway safety department is looking into Amazon’s self-driving robotaxi company after two vehicles braked unexpectedly and were rear-ended by motorcyclists.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced Monday that it will assess Zoox’s automated driving system.
Both accidents occurred during the sunlight, and the riders sustained minor injuries. In all cases, the agency established that the Amazon vehicles operated in autonomous mode before the crashes.
AP – VOR News Image
Amazon’s Self-Driving Robotaxi Unit Zoox Under Investigation By US After 2 Rear-End Crashes
According to the government, the investigation will focus on the performance of the company’s automated driving system during the crashes and how it operates in crosswalks near pedestrians and other vulnerable road users.
A message was left early Monday requesting a response from the company.
Zoox reported the crashes by a requirement granted to automated vehicle firms in 2021.
Zoox – VOR News Image
Amazon’s Self-Driving Robotaxi Unit Zoox Under Investigation By US After 2 Rear-End Crashes
According to estimates, Amazon paid more than $1 billion for Zoox in June 2020. In 2023, the Foster City, California-based business announced that one of its unique-looking four-person shuttles would automatically transport personnel on public highways along a mile-long (1.6-kilometer) route between two facilities.
The corporation then planned to develop an exclusive shuttle service for its employees. Analysts believe Amazon will deploy the system for autonomous deliveries.
The cars feature no steering wheel or pedals. The interior is carriage-style, with two benches facing each other. It is a little under 12 feet (3.7 meters) long, about a foot (a third of a meter) shorter than a conventional Mini Cooper, and can reach 35 mph (56 km/h).
Zoox – VOR News Image
Amazon’s Self-Driving Robotaxi Unit Zoox Under Investigation By US After 2 Rear-End Crashes
The company was already under investigation by the NHTSA. In March 2022, the government began investigating the company’s certification that its car fulfilled federal safety standards for motor vehicles.
The agency stated at the time that it would investigate if Zoox used its testing techniques to establish that certain federal criteria did not apply due to the robotaxi’s unique configuration.
SOURCE – (AP)
-
World2 weeks ago
Former President Trump Survives Being Shot at Pennsylvania Rally
-
Tech4 weeks ago
Huawei Launches 5G-A Pioneers Program at MWC Shanghai 2024: Paving the Way for a Connected Future
-
Sports4 weeks ago
NBA Draft: Kyle Filipowski Withdraws Unexpectedly From The First Round
-
Tech4 weeks ago
ChatGPT Answers Undiscovered Questions and Outperforms Students.
-
News4 weeks ago
US Supreme Court Rejects Drug Deal that Protects the Sackler Family
-
Health4 weeks ago
US Health Agency Issues Dengue Virus Infection Warning