Axiom Space prepares for its fourth mission to the ISS

Axiom Space plans to launch its fourth mission on Tuesday, June 10 — a mission that CEO Tejpaul Bhatia described as “a little bit of a victory lap.” In addition to being the private space company’s fourth mission to the International Space Station, Bhatia said Ax-4 will be Axiom Space’s second “fully national mission” where… Continue reading Axiom Space prepares for its fourth mission to the ISS

Trump fast-tracks supersonic travel, amid spate of flight-related executive orders

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday that directs the Federal Aviation Administration to lift the 52-year ban on supersonic flight over U.S. soil, marking a major policy shift that occurred just weeks after lawmakers introduced bipartisan legislation with the same aim. The order instructs the FAA to end the overland supersonic ban and… Continue reading Trump fast-tracks supersonic travel, amid spate of flight-related executive orders

TechCrunch Mobility: How Jony Ive’s LoveFrom helped Rivian and what Uber’s next-generation playbook looks like

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. Sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! I’ve spent a decade covering Tesla and CEO Elon Musk, so it would be natural for me to weigh in here about the billionaire’s public fallout with… Continue reading TechCrunch Mobility: How Jony Ive’s LoveFrom helped Rivian and what Uber’s next-generation playbook looks like

Tesla’s Optimus robot VP is reportedly leaving the company

The head of Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot program, Milan Kovac, is leaving the company, according to Bloomberg News. The departure comes as Tesla CEO Elon Musk has claimed the company will have “thousands” of Optimus robots operating in its factories by the end of this year. “And we expect to scale Optimus up faster than… Continue reading Tesla’s Optimus robot VP is reportedly leaving the company

Jony Ive’s LoveFrom helped design Rivian’s first electric bike

LoveFrom, the creative firm founded by former Apple chief designer Jony Ive, played a role in the development of Rivian’s first electric bike, according to multiple sources who spoke to TechCrunch.  For about 18 months, a handful of LoveFrom staff worked alongside Rivian’s design team and engineers within a skunkworks program led by Specialized’s former… Continue reading Jony Ive’s LoveFrom helped design Rivian’s first electric bike

Nikola founder Trevor Milton is fighting a subpoena from his bankrupt company’s creditors

The recently pardoned founder of Nikola, Trevor Milton, has been fighting a subpoena from the creditors of his bankrupt electric trucking company. The official committee of unsecured creditors in the bankruptcy case sent the subpoena to Milton’s lawyers on April 1, according to a recent filing. Milton owed Nikola nearly $100 million before it filed… Continue reading Nikola founder Trevor Milton is fighting a subpoena from his bankrupt company’s creditors

Walmart and Wing expand drone delivery to five more US cities

Wing, the on-demand drone delivery company owned by Alphabet, is spreading its commercial wings with help from Walmart. The two companies announced Thursday plans to roll out drone delivery to more than 100 Walmart stores in five new cities: Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando, and Tampa. Walmart is also adding Wing drone deliveries to its existing… Continue reading Walmart and Wing expand drone delivery to five more US cities

Toma’s AI voice agents have taken off at car dealerships – and attracted funding from a16z

When Monik Pamecha co-founded AI voice startup Toma in early 2024, he hadn’t anticipated spending the summer months sweating in Bible Belt car dealerships. He and co-founder Anthony Krivonos were still focused on banking and healthcare customers when the dealers came knocking.  “They just called us up and said ‘we are drowning in phone calls,’”… Continue reading Toma’s AI voice agents have taken off at car dealerships – and attracted funding from a16z

Elon Musk’s introduction to politics

Elon Musk spent the last several months knee deep in government, sidelining his companies to pursue a longstanding Republican quest to weed out alleged waste and fraud.  Then, a few weeks ago, House Republicans passed a bill with provisions that would kneecap Tesla.  Now, Musk is fuming that the bill is “a disgusting abomination.” Plenty… Continue reading Elon Musk’s introduction to politics

Obvio’s stop sign cameras use AI to root out unsafe drivers

American streets are incredibly dangerous for pedestrians. A San Carlos, California-based startup called Obvio thinks it can change that by installing cameras at stop signs — a solution the founders also say won’t create a panopticon.  That’s a bold claim at a time when other companies like Flock have been criticized for how its license… Continue reading Obvio’s stop sign cameras use AI to root out unsafe drivers