16 h. ago Elon Musk’s 2025 recap: how the world’s richest person became its most chaotic

How the tech CEO and ‘Dogefather’ made a mess of the year – from an apparent Nazi salute during his White House tenure to Tesla sales slumps and Starship explosionsThe year of 2025 was dizzying for Elon Musk. The tech titan began the year holding court with Donald Trump in Washington DC. As the months ticked by, one public appearance after another baffled the US and the world. Musk appeared to give a Nazi salute at Trump’s inauguration, staunchly championed a 19-year-old staffer nicknamed “Big Balls,” denied reports of being a drug addict while advising the president, and showed up at a White House press conference with a black eye – all in the first half of the year alone.“Elon’s attitude is you have to get it done fast. If you’re an incrementalist, you just won’t get your rocket to the moon,” Susie Wiles, Trump’s chief of staff, told Vanity Fair in an expansive interview earlier this month. “And so with that attitude, you’re going to break some china.” Continue reading...

Politics

40 h. ago We still don’t really know what Elon Musk’s Doge actually did

Calculating the actual savings and impact of the bulldozing US department that vowed to cut $1tn in waste is difficultElon Musk, AI and the antichrist: the biggest tech stories of 2025When Elon Musk vowed late last year to lead a “department of government efficiency” (Doge), he claimed it would operate with “maximum transparency” as it set about saving $2tn worth of waste and exposing massive fraud.Today, with Musk out of the White House, Doge having cut only a tiny fraction of the waste it promised, and dozens of lawsuits alleging violations of privacy and transparency laws, much of what the agency has done remains a mystery. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Elon Musk warns of impact of record silver prices before China limits exports

Metal ‘needed in many industrial processes’, says Tesla boss as supply fears grow over price surge and new rulesA surge in the price of silver to record highs this month has prompted a warning from Elon Musk that manufacturers could suffer the consequences.Silver has risen sharply during December, part of a precious metals rally that also pushed gold and platinum to record levels on Boxing Day. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Elon Musk warns manufacturers could suffer consequences of surge in price of silver

Silver rose sharply in December, part of a precious metals rally that also pushed gold and platinum to record levelsA surge in the price of silver to record highs this month has prompted a warning from Elon Musk that manufacturers could suffer the consequences.Silver has risen sharply during December, part of a precious metals rally that also pushed gold and platinum to record levels on Boxing Day. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago Elon Musk, AI and the antichrist: the biggest tech stories of 2025

A look back at the biggest tech stories of the year, from the rise and fall of Musk’s Doge to lucrative investments into AIHello, and welcome to TechScape. I’m your host, Blake Montgomery, wishing you a happy and healthy end of the year. I myself have a cold.Today, we are looking back at the biggest stories in tech of 2025 – Elon Musk’s political rise, burst, and fall; artificial intelligence’s subsumption of the global economy, all other technology, and even the Earth’s topography; Australia’s remarkable social media ban; the tech industry’s new Trumpian politics; and, as a treat, a glimpse of the apocalypse offered by one of Silicon Valley’s savviest and strangest billionaires.How an obscure US government office has become a target of Elon MuskHow Elon Musk’s billionaire Doge lieutenant took over the US’s biggest MDMA company | Technology | The GuardianThe chaos Elon Musk and Doge are leaving behind in WashingtonEggings, swastikas and dog poop: Tesla bears brunt of people’s ire ag...

Politics

1 week ago Elon Musk’s 2018 Tesla pay package restored by Delaware court

Decision from state supreme court on deal once worth $56bn overturns ruling that prompted angry Musk backlashElon Musk’s controversial $56bn pay package from Tesla was reinstated by the Delaware supreme court on Friday, two years after a lower court struck down the vast compensation deal as “unfathomable”.The decision comes less than two months after Tesla shareholders approved a new plan that could be worth $1tn to Musk, already the world’s richest person, in a decade’s time. It overturns a ruling which had prompted a furious backlash from Musk. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Elon Musk’s massive 2018 Tesla pay package restored by Delaware court

Decision from state supreme court on deal once worth $56bn and now worth some $139bn overturns ruling that prompted angry Musk backlashElon Musk’s controversial $56bn pay package from Tesla was reinstated by the Delaware supreme court on Friday, two years after a lower court struck down the vast compensation deal as “unfathomable”.The reinstated pay package could be worth as much as $139bn today, according to the New York Times. The decision comes less than two months after Tesla shareholders approved a new plan that could be worth $1tn to Musk, already the world’s richest person, in a decade’s time. Musk’s fortune currently stands at an estimated $600bn. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Elon Musk’s X wins appeal to lift block on Australians seeing Charlie Kirk shooting footage

In successful challenge, X argued the video wasn’t excessively offensive and was an objective record of a ‘public event of historical and political significance’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Australian classification review board has overturned a decision to block Australians seeing footage of the shooting of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk on social media after Elon Musk’s X appealed against the ruling sought by the eSafety commissioner.After Kirk’s death at Utah Valley University on 10 September, the eSafety commissioner applied to the board to have video of the shooting classified in Australia. The video was ruled to be “refused classification”, which allowed eSafety to serve notices on social media platforms ordering them to geo-block the posts from view for Australia-based users. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Elon Musk’s net worth hits estimated $600bn as SpaceX prepares for IPO

Startup valuation, likely to go public at $800bn, will bolster Musk’s wealth to an estimated $677bn, according to ForbesElon Musk on Monday became the first person ever worth $600bn, according to Forbes. The news comes on the heels of reports that his SpaceX startup was likely to go public at a valuation of $800bn.Musk, who was the first to surpass $500bn in net worth in October, owns an estimated 42% stake in SpaceX, which is preparing to go public next year. No other person has hit the $500bn mark. Continue reading...

Technology

2 w. ago Elon Musk teams with El Salvador to bring Grok chatbot to public schools

President Nayib Bukele entrusting chatbot known for calling itself ‘MechaHitler’ to create ‘AI-powered’ curriculaElon Musk is partnering with the government of El Salvador to bring his artificial intelligence company’s chatbot, Grok, to more than 1 million students across the country, according to a Thursday announcement by xAI. Over the next two years, the plan is to “deploy” the chatbot to more than 5,000 public schools in an “AI-powered education program”.xAI’s Grok is more known for referring to itself as “MechaHitler” and espousing far-right conspiracy theories than it is for public education. Over the past year, the chatbot has spewed various antisemitic content, decried “white genocide” and claimed Donald Trump won the 2020 election. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Musk calls Doge only ‘somewhat successful’ and says he would not do it again

Speaking on a rightwing podcast, the billionaire said he would not go back and lead the job-cutting program again Elon Musk has said the aggressive federal job-cutting program he headed early in Donald Trump’s second term, known as the “department of government efficiency” (Doge), was only “a little bit successful” and he would not lead the project again.Musk said he wouldn’t want to repeat the exercise, talking on the podcast hosted by Katie Miller, a rightwing personality with a rising profile who was a Doge adviser and who is married to Stephen Miller, Donald Trump’s hardline anti-immigration deputy chief of staff. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Elon Musk’s SpaceX ‘preparing for 2026 flotation of more than $1tn’

Reports say space exploration company has begun talks to raise more than $25bn for IPOBusiness live – latest updatesElon Musk’s space exploration company SpaceX is preparing to list on the stock market next year, in a move that could raise more than $25bn ($18.7bn) and value the business at more than $1tn, according to reports.SpaceX, which designs, builds and launches rockets, is said to have started discussions with banks about an initial public offering (IPO). It could join the stock market in about June or July, according Reuters, which cited an unnamed source familiar with the matter. Continue reading...

Technology

3 w. ago Elon Musk’s SpaceX ‘preparing for flotation that could value it at over $1tn’

Reports say space exploration company has begun talks about stock market listing that could raise more than $25bnBusiness live – latest updatesElon Musk’s space exploration company SpaceX is preparing to list on the stock market next year in a move that could raise more than $25bn (£19bn) and value the business at more than $1tn, according to reports.SpaceX, which designs, builds and launches rockets, is said to have started discussions with banks about an initial public offering (IPO). It could join the stock market in about June or July, according Reuters, which cited an unnamed source familiar with the matter. Continue reading...

Technology

3 w. ago Elon Musk’s X fined €120m by EU in first clash under new digital laws

Ruling likely to put European Commission on collision course with billionaire, and possibly Donald TrumpBusiness live – latest updatesElon Musk’s social media platform, X, has been fined €120m (£105m) after it was found in breach of new EU digital laws, in a ruling likely to put the European Commission on a collision course with the US billionaire and potentially Donald Trump.The breaches, under consideration for two years, included what the EU said was a “deceptive” blue tick verification badge given to users and the lack of transparency of the platform’s advertising. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Tesla cuts Model 3 price in Europe as sales slide amid Musk backlash

CEO Elon Musk says lower-cost electric car will reignite demand by appealing to broader range of buyersTesla has launched the lower-priced version of its Model 3 car in Europe in a push to revive sales after a backlash against Elon Musk’s work with Donald Trump and weakening demand for electric vehicles.Musk, the electric car maker’s chief executive, has argued that the cheaper option, launched in the US in October, will reinvigorate demand by appealing to a wider range of buyers. Continue reading...

Economics

3 w. ago Tesla launches cheaper version of Model 3 in Europe amid Musk sales backlash

CEO Elon Musk says lower-cost electric car will reignite demand by appealing to broader range of buyersTesla has launched the lower-priced version of its Model 3 car in Europe in a push to revive sales after a backlash against Elon Musk’s work with Donald Trump and weakening demand for electric vehicles.Musk, the electric car maker’s chief executive, has argued that the cheaper option, launched in the US in October, will reinvigorate demand by appealing to a wider range of buyers. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Tesla privately warned UK that weakening EV rules would hit sales

Elon Musk-owned electric carmaker also called for support for the secondhand market, documents revealBusiness live – latest updatesTesla privately warned the UK government that weakening electric vehicle rules would hit battery car sales and risk the country missing its carbon dioxide targets, according to newly revealed documents.The US electric carmaker, run by Elon Musk, also called for “support for the used-car market”, according to submissions to a government consultation earlier this year obtained by the Fast Charge, a newsletter covering electric cars. Continue reading...

Events