Monthly Archives: May 2020

Welcome back to Tech Chronicle. The attention economy never closed, but I hope this fine newsletter will reopen your eyes to the tech worlds many challenges.

The four words no one in Silicon Valley wants to hear: You cant do that.

In tech, rules arent meant just to be broken, but disrupted, subverted, refactored and routed around.

Why is Elon Musk insisting on illegally restarting production of electric cars at Teslas Fremont factory, when official permission for a safe resumption of manufacturing seems tantalizingly close?

Having studied Musk for decades, I can only conclude that he doesnt like being told what to do, whether its following rules for officers of publicly traded companies or obeying local health orders.

There is some value to his defiance. When Musk invested in Tesla 16 years ago, electric cars seemed hopelessly uneconomical, unsexy, unwanted. Musk ousted Teslas inconvenient founders, took control and with some help from the federal government got vehicles on the road that woke peoples imagination of what might be possible. He forced automakers in Detroit and Tokyo to take electric cars seriously. That the electric car market seems viable today is a real achievement.

But its one thing to break unwritten rules, and another to break written ones. That is what Musk is doing by insisting on reopening Teslas car plant before proving to local health officials satisfaction that it can be done safely. (Those who have worked on automotive assembly lines doubt the work can be done at a social distance and wearing protective equipment.)

Musk has 34 million followers on Twitter, and his provocations play well with his base there. But Teslas future car buyers are another matter. The Bay Area is a big center for electric vehicles. Its also a region where local shelter-in-place orders, despite the short-term economic pain, are popular and for the most part voluntarily adhered to. Musks conspiracy theories about the coronavirus pandemic first he doubted the seriousness of the disease, then dismissed the need for protective measures are unlikely to win him new customers outside his current fan base.

Its also unlikely to make recruiting easier. The pitch for working at Tesla is that youre making the world a better place and saving humanity. How does putting co-workers at risk of infection fit into that vision?

Musk has said that hes going to pick up Tesla and move it out of the Bay Area, factory, headquarters and all. For his electric-car rivals, thats an open invitation to start poaching engineers now. Theres no rule against that.

Owen Thomas, othomas@sfchronicle.com

I attribute everything that has gone wrong to coronavirus. Quibi CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, trying to convince the New York Times that starting a streaming service that doesnt play on TVs is a microbes fault

It would have been Google I/O this week. Oh well. Cisco reports earnings Wednesday, if you want to hear from another videoconferencing vendor thats not Zoom on why theyre not Zoom.

Alex Kantrowitz on Twitters move to make working from home permanent. (Fun fact: Twitter used to have an account for its office called @twoffice that appears to be defunct.) (BuzzFeed News)

Dominic Fracassa on Jack Dorseys donation to the Give2SF fund, which I guess makes up for the money Twitter employees wont be spending locally. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Brian Heater on how the iPhone has become Hollywoods favorite new camera. (TechCrunch)

Tech Chronicle is a weekly newsletter from Owen Thomas, The Chronicles business editor, and the rest of the tech team. Follow along on Twitter: @techchronicle and Instagram: @techchronicle

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Nobody tells Elon Musk what to do. Maybe that's the problem - San Francisco Chronicle

Elon Musk announcing that his son is named X A-12 Musk created quite an online chatter. In fact, the tech giant, during a podcast interview, also revealed the meaning of the unusual name and how to pronounce it. Now, a creative mind, Richard Reis, has come up with a website which, taking a cue from X A-12, guesses what Elon Musk would have named you if he was your dad.

Reis shared about the website on Twitter and wrote, I just launched the @elonmusk name generator on @ProductHunt! Get your name Elonified. He also announced the existence of the site while replying to a tweet by Elon Musk.

Heres the tweet Reis shared on his profile:

The idea sat well with people and now many are trying to get the Elonified version of their names and the results are very interesting. A few also changed their profile name to the new name the website generated.

Here are some such posts Reis retweeted:

If you are wondering what your name would be, you can see that in a few easy steps. To start with, visit the website https://elon-name.netlify.app/?ref=producthunt. You will have to type your name in the search bar, then press generate and voila!

So, what name would Elon Musk give you?

Continued here:

What would Elon Musk name you? This website may have the answer - Hindustan Times

In one of a series of wild tweets posted last week, Elon Musk stated he would be selling almost all physical possessions and that he would own no house. He appears to be actually following through with that promise, as chronicled in a great story in The Wall Street Journal about Musks personal finances that you should go read.

According to the WSJ, despite being worth an estimated $39 billion on paper:

...he has to borrow, sometimes a lot, to pay for his lifestyle and business investments without liquidating shares that help him maintain control of the companies he runs. About half his Tesla stock is pledged as collateral for personal loans, an April 28 financial filing shows. Maintaining his equity stakeabout 20%, or around $29 billion at its current valuationis important for him to keep control over the Silicon Valley auto maker.

Musk also doesnt take a salary at Tesla, but he apparently became eligible for stock options worth more than $1 billion this week. To get that money, he will need an eye-watering $592 million to exercise the option, according to the WSJ. Its not clear if Musk has the money on hand to exercise that option or if the money raised from the house sales will be used to help pay for the sum. Mr. Musk said he wasnt selling his possessions because he needs the money, the WSJ reported.

The article also lists a few times Musk has said hes cash poor. Heres one example:

Before Tesla went public, Mr. Musk told a judge during a contentious divorce with his first wife that he had run out of cash and had taken on emergency loans from friends to support his family and pay living expenses.

Heres another:

Last year, Mr. Musks ability to access cash came up again during a defamation lawsuit over comments he made about a man involved in the rescue of a Thai soccer team from a flooded cave in 2018. A lawyer in the case said in a filing that Mr. Musk had described himself as financially illiquid.

The whole article has a lot of history about Musk, interesting information about his finances backed up by regulatory filings, and numerous quotes from Musk himself, and I sincerely recommend taking 10 minutes to read it in full.

Oh, and if you were wondering the status of Musks houses: he has listed three California mansions for sale and plans to sell four other houses in Bel-Air, according to the WSJ. Once the houses are sold, Musk does not know where I will stay yet, but will probably rent a small house somewhere, he said in an email to the WSJ.

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Go read this Wall Street Journal story about Elon Musks personal finances - The Verge

Vivien KillileaGetty Images

The first video of Grimes and Elon Musk's baby, X A-12, has been shared by the new mom on Instagram! In the heartwarming clip, baby X is curled up on Musk's chest, while the Tesla cofounder gently pats his back, burping him. Grimes added the two-hearts emoji over the intimate scene.

This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Grimes and Musk welcomed baby X, their first child together, into the world earlier this month. After Musk confirmed the birth of the baby and his unusual name, the "Violence" singer took to Twitter to elaborate on the meaning of his moniker.

She broke down the name, symbol by symbol: "X, the unknown variable," she wrote ", my elven spelling of Ai (love &/or Artificial intelligence)."

This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

A-12 was also revealed to be a reference to the CIA's Lockheed A-12 reconnaissance plane, which is her and Musk's "favorite aircraft." She added, "No weapons, no defenses, just speed. Great in battle, but non-violent."

In a subsequent interview on Joe Rogan's podcast, Musk added that Grimes was the brains behind the name. "First of all, my partner is the one who, mostly, actually came up with the name," he said. "She's great at names."

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io

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Grimes Shares the First Video of Elon Musk Holding Baby X - HarpersBAZAAR.com

As of this writing, it's been about two months since most of the United States started sheltering in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus, since bars and restaurants closed, since schools closed, since the Covid-19 hospitalization numbers started to rise in New York. It's been a long time, but it's felt even longer. Meanwhile, one-in-five Americans has filed for unemployment since mid-March, and even though the majority of them expect to get their jobs back eventually that eventuality might be pretty far off if people keep crossing state lines to go to restaurants. Speaking of reopening, the White House rejected the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions reopening guidelines because they werent lenient enough. Still, at least drug dealers are being inventive in the face of international lockdowns. But those are just the broad strokes of the last week. What else have folks been talking about online? For starters, all of this.

Ad Infinitum

What Happened: Who could have foreseen that the President of the United States really wouldn't like an ad taking him to task for his Covid-19 response? Oh, thats right, everyone.

What Really Happened: As the coronavirus continues to dominate headlines and control the world, attention continues to be paid to President Trump's response to the pandemic and his administration's handling of it. It's a response that has seen a shortage of coronavirus tests, questionable comments about injecting disinfectant, and a lot of miscommunication on proper guidelines. Then, last week, this ad appeared summing up where things are right now as the result of the Trump administration's efforts.

As explained above, the video came from The Lincoln Project, a political action committee dedicated to, in their words, holding accountable those who would violate their oaths to the Constitution and would put others before Americans. What some people might not know about The Lincoln Project, however, is that its a group funded by a number of Republicans, including Kellyanne Conways outspoken husband, George. For anyone wondering if the president saw it, he did.

As might be expected, President Trumps middle-of-the-night tweetstorm, made headlines, because of course it did. But it also sparked another question: How did Trump even see the ad? There's actually a theory out there about that.

The president's response, however, didn't dissuade those responsible for The Lincoln Project.

The Takeaway: If Trump was hoping his tweets would slow the spread of the ad, they didn't.

Wherefore Are Thou, Task Force?

What Happened: Last week, word started to spread that the Trump administration might wind down the coronavirus task force. Once that word got around, though, the plan shifted.

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Elon Musk and Grimes' Baby Tops This Week's Internet News Roundup - WIRED

Tesla has patented a new battery cell with a tabless electrode that Elon Musk hypes as way more important than it sounds.

In the new patent application published today, Tesla explains constraints with current battery cells:

Current cells use a jelly-roll design in which the cathode, anode, and separators are rolled together and have a cathode tab and an anode tab to connect to the positive and negative terminals of the cell can. The path of the current necessarily travels through these tabs to connectors on the outside of the battery cell. However, ohmic resistance is increased with distance when current must travel all the way along the cathode or anode to the tab and out of the cell. Furthermore, because the tabs are additional components, they increase costs and present manufacturing challenges.

The new patent called Cell with a Tabless Electrode describes a new way to build cells in order to avoid this issue.

Tesla wrote in the patent application:

A cell of an energy storage device with at least one electrode that is tabless, and methods of forming thereof, are described. The cell includes a first substrate having a first coating disposed thereon, wherein a second portion of the first substrate at a proximal end along the width of the first substrate comprises a conductive material. An inner separator is disposed over the first substrate. A second substrate is disposed over the inner separator. The second substrate has a second coating disposed thereon. The first substrate, the inner separator, and the second substrate in a successive manner, the first substrate, the inner separator, and the second substrate are rolled about a central axis.

Here are several drawings that Tesla released in the patent application:

Recently, Tesla has been applying for a lot of intellectual property related to battery cells, like a new electrode for its 1-million-mile battery.

As we previously reported,Electrekrevealed that Tesla is working on an internalsecret Roadrunner project.

The goal is for Tesla to produce its own battery cells using technologies developed by Teslas internal teams, including work from Dahns team, and new technologies recently acquired through the acquisition of Maxwell, on a massive scale and at a cost below $100 per kWh.

For this particular new tabless electrode, CEO Elon Musk said on Twitter that this technology is way more important than it sounds without explaining more.

More is expected to be announced at Teslas battery day in a few weeks.

Heres the patent application in full:

While I normally like to highlight that companies, like Tesla, will often patent technology that they dont necessarily plan on commercializing, I think its fair to say that its not necessary in this case if Elon points out that it is important.

I am not sure what he means by that, but I think it might have to do with his recent comments about the possibility of Tesla moving to a battery pack without module. Going from cells to pack would require some changes to cells.

If thats the case, it would be interesting to see what the manufacturing process of those would look like.

What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below.

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Tesla patents a new battery cell that Elon Musk hypes as way more important than it sounds - Electrek

Life, death, addiction, trauma and the ethereal. Despite rarely publicising it herself, Grimes is an artist healing her own wounds through otherworldly soundscapes and visions. Throughout the last decade, Claire Boucher rose from the neuroscience labs of Montreals McGill University into an artistic circuit encompassing the greats, proving herself as a production powerhouse, artistic prodigy, and visionary.

However, following the third anniversary of her seminal recordArt Angels, a publicised relationship with Tesla-founder Elon saw her career thrust under the scorn of the mainstream public. Her decade-rich archive of vibrantmultimedia narratives was seen as comical, her nuanced creative choices were easy targets for meme culture. As happens to many female artists in high-profile relationships, her career was overshadowed by her partners reputation.

Photo: Charlotte Rutherford for Rolling Stone

Claire Boucher spent the last decade climbing; through the rankings of Montreals underground with 2010s GeidiPrimesandHalfaxa, through the metamorphosis of indie-pop with 2012s Visions, coming to rest in a rich virtual niche of alt-electro-pop with 2015sArt Angels.With GarageBand, a second-hand keyboard, and no musical experience, Boucher quickly discovered her talent for crafting alternate realities through production at the age of 23.

Layer on volumes of radiant imagination, gut-punching electro-beats, vocals which transform from angelic to piercing in milliseconds, and years of intense visual media co-ordination, and you have Grimes: an ethereal-being ravaged by a realm of gods, demons, and anthropomorphic trauma.

I engineered a popstar but I use myself. I directed all the videos, did all the album art, mixed and produced all the songs, Boucher noted about the project in a 2013 interview with Hunger TV.It was totally DIY, it started out with me finding tapes in the garbage, and a tape copier in the garbage and copying the tapes by hand.

It is her completely hands-on approach that brings so much virtuosity to her work, something that is no more evident than in her latest record Miss Anthropocene.Quoting that the album narrates apantheon of new gods,Boucher designed each of the records 11 tracks around a differentmeans of death, personal crisis, or modern feeling.The title itself, a play on the words misanthrope and Anthropocene, manifests the god of climate change.

I thought trying to give it a name or a face, for me, makes it a bit more digestible and a bit easier to consider on a daily basis, Boucher noted to triple j. I need[ed] to make this easier for me to consume and continue to engage with it because I cant just tap out right now, that was my goal.

The entire record boasts the immense weight of Bouchers arithmetic production, pausing for breath only during Delete Forever the Demon of Addiction. Palatial yet gentle, poignant yet imagined, the folk-esque track was penned about Bouchers experience with opioid addiction, an ailment which claimed the lives of six of her friends.

With an overwhelming subtly and honesty, Boucher transforms an all-too-known narrative into the sorrows of a cosmic empress, looking down upon her ruined kingdom. Flew into the sun, fucking heroin(e), I see everythingI did everything, cannot comprehend, lost so many men. Lately, all their ghosts turn into reasons,lyrics which equally traverse both realities, offering grief and sensitivity.

Despite the fact that her style of writing comes simply out of creative ease, employing alternate realities and identities as a canvas to mend personal wounds is a feat only achieved by musics most respected. Bowie, Prince, McCartney, and 2Pac all paved the way for what Boucher is currently achieving.

Grimes is the uncensored version, from an artistic standpoint, she noted to HungerTV. What Im doing with music, its stuff that I cant talk to people about. Like I cant say in front of my friends, I couldnt.

Thats the weird thing about this, is that its way more real but because its so surreal, to access such a huge number of people rather than a small number of people.

However, it isnt just her infinite creativity or narrative abilities which give the Grimes outfit its distinct expertise, rather her aptitude for sonic hyper-literacy. An entirely self-directed production allows Boucher the freedom to embed deeply rich symbolism and undercurrents throughout a single or album. Her largest song Oblivionis a poster child of this genius.

Radiating beats and celestial vocals, its an inherently upbeat tune. Yet, Grimes lyrics are a harrowing portrait of Bouchers own sexual assault, and the trauma which has haunted her since.I never walk about after dark, its my point of view. And someone could break your neck, coming up behind you, always coming and youd never have a clue, she sings. See you on a dark night.

Instead of paintingOblivionwithin an alternate universe like her other works, Boucher does the complete opposite. She goes to a motor-cross event, a football final, and a mens change room. The music video is painfully mundane in the most powerful way. Images of her traversing a world dominated by the male gaze illuminate the poisoned reality which victims are forced to return to, and the normalising of rape culture in our everyday. The viewer is left in awe.

And yet, put Grimes name into Google right now and youll come up with this:

What you need to knowabout Grimes, the Canadian musician who just had a baby with techbillionaire Elon Musk.

Elon Musk and Grimes cant agree on how to pronounce their babys name.

What is an X A-12?

Claire Boucher is exercising musical wisdom well beyond her years as an artist. A polymath of production, she crafts songs into teaming universes of hallucinogenic realities and nocturnal soundscapes, full of symbolised agony and double meanings which blend the imagined with the excruciatingly real. All of which have been ignored in her tabloid-promoted persona as the eccentric girlfriend of the Twitter-addicted Tesla founder, and mother of their unconventionally-named baby.

In our hyper-commercialised society, it has become frighteningly easy for these media-circulated identities to plague artists. Once a meme, always a meme. Whilst many do recognise Grimes artistry, as seen in the staggering reception ofMiss Anthropocene, her well-documented relationship has undeniably dominated her public narrative. However, this certainly hasnt stopped Boucher from continuing to push her project and the bounds of creativity as far as it can reach.

People seem to assume that Im an air-head, that Im a druggy, weird and on Tumblr I think its hard for people to grasp that someone can produce and be a front person, maybe Boucher recalled back in 2013.

Its been really interesting for me to see how easy it is to actually create thisI dont want to say fantasy Im in the process of moulding reality.And coming to take great pleasure out of building this idea of what Grimes is, and controlling everything about it.

We have allowed so many under-appreciated artists slip through the cracks before because the world simply wasnt ready. Perhaps its about time we appreciate the cosmic talent that is Grimes.

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Is Grimes' relationship with Elon Musk distracting us from her musical brilliance? - Happy Mag