Google vs. the feds, Elon Musk vs. Big Tech, and an AI arrest: Tech news roundup
An AI CEO was arrested for defrauding investors — and allegedly using the money to pay for her wedding
The founder of an AI startup once featured on Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list was charged Tuesday with defrauding investors.
Joanna Smith-Griffin, 33, who founded AllHere Education, was arrested in North Carolina and charged with securities fraud, wire fraud, and identity theft.
ChatGPT beat doctors at diagnosing medical conditions, study says
A small study meant to see if doctors were able to improve diagnoses with the help of ChatGPT yielded unsettling results: the AI chatbot was better at diagnosis than the doctors themselves.
Trump’s latest hire is a boon for Elon Musk’s SpaceX — and a hit to Big Tech
President-elect Donald Trump said he would appoint Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Brendan Carr as chair, delivering another win to ally Elon Musk and a gut punch to Big Tech.
Tesla stock spikes 7% because Trump might hand Elon Musk another win
Tesla (TSLA) stock was popping again early Monday as President-elect Donald Trump’s team reportedly plans to hand key ally Elon Musk another win.
Members of Trump’s transition team have said they plan to make a federal framework for fully autonomous vehicles a priority for the incoming Department of Transportation, Bloomberg News reported. Current federal rules make it difficult to deploy vehicles without steering wheels or pedals like Tesla’s advertised Cybercab.
The feds want Google to sell its Chrome browser
The Department of Justice (DOJ) said Wednesday that it wants Google (GOOGL) to sell its Chrome web browser as the government looks to break up the tech giant’s dominance in the search engine market.
Trump is joining Elon Musk to watch SpaceX’s latest Starship test
President-elect Donald Trump has made it abundantly clear that he really likes rockets. On Tuesday, he’s expected to watch his ally launch a fully reusable, 400-foot mega-rocket out of southern Texas, according to reports.
Air is leaking from the International Space Station. The U.S. and Russia can’t agree why
The International Space Station (ISS) has an air leakage problem — and tensions between the U.S. and Russia appear to be getting in the way of a solution.
‘What happens in Vegas’: How Google tried to keep the bad stuff quiet
Outdated technology, codenames, and paranoia have marked the better part of the last two decades at Google (GOOGL).
A New York Times (NYT) report published Wednesday shows the lengths Google employees, from rank-and-file workers to executives, took to keep sensitive information off the books.
The DOJ wants to force Google to sell off Chrome
The Department of Justice may push for Google (GOOGL) to sell off its Chrome browser in an effort to break up the tech giant’s dominance of the search engine market.
Hyundai and Kia are recalling more than 200,000 EVs that could lose power
Hyundai (HYMTF) and Kia are recalling more than 200,000 electric vehicles over potential defects that could cut drive power to the vehicles.
The recall includes vehicles sold by Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis, which are collectively owned by the South Korean Hyundai Motor Group. That includes Hyundai’s 2022-2024 Ioniq 5 and 2023-2025 Ioniq 6, Kia’s 2022-2024 EV6, and Genesis’ 2023-2025 GV60, GV70, and 2023-2024 G80 electric models.