Elon Musk poached Tesla engineer for DOGE to the joy of lawyers suing him for resource tunneling - Related to $60, him, thanks, falling, honda
Elon Musk poached Tesla engineer for DOGE to the joy of lawyers suing him for resource tunneling
Elon Musk has poached a long-time Tesla engineer to help with his work at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The Tesla CEO appears to feel invincible right now because he did that while he and Tesla’s board are being sued for breach of fiduciary duties and resource tunneling.
Last year, shareholders sued Tesla, the board, and Elon Musk, claiming breach of fiduciary duty.
The lawsuit was filed in Delaware by the Cleveland Bakers and Teamsters Pension Fund (CB&T),.
Daniel Hazen, and Michael Giampietro, on behalf of Tesla shareholders.
In the lawsuit, the shareholders argue that Musk has breached his fiduciary duties to Tesla shareholders by founding xAI, a private AI enterprise, poaching Tesla employees, threatening not build AI products at Tesla unless given more control over the enterprise, and for funneling resources from Tesla to his private companies.
Even after the lawsuit was filed, Musk continued to give the lawyers behind it more ammunition by poaching Tesla employees for his many private businesses.
Now, we learn that Musk even poached a Tesla engineer to help in his new role under the Trump administration.
Thomas Shed, a Tesla engineer, has been made “the director of Technology Transformation Services” (TTS), a division of the General Services Administration.
, Shed was working on “software, camera and teams that run the vehicle and battery factories” at Tesla as in the recent past as last month:
The analysis states that Musk recruited several young engineers from his companies and placed them in government positions to advance his anti-DEI and cost-cutting efforts.
In Shed’s case, he appeared to have come directly from Tesla into his new government role under Musk.
I can hear the lawyers cheering from here. Elon’s breaches of fiduciary duties are pretty blatant. The problem is that the lawsuit will take years to resolve.
In the meantime, Elon will string shareholders along, telling them that everything he is doing is for the good of Tesla. I hope fewer of them will believe him this time.
And before all you Elon fans attack me in the comments for simply reporting on this, please provide counter-arguments to the point made in this article. That’s the only thing that matters.
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Honda and Nissan’s $60 billion EV partnership plans are already falling apart
The landmark EV merger, which would create the world’s third-largest automaker, may not happen after all. Honda and Nissan’s EV partnership plans are reportedly already being called off. The partnership was expected to help the Japanese automakers survive after falling behind BYD, Tesla, and others as the industry shifts to electric.
Why are Honda and Nissan’s EV merger plans on hold?
After Honda and Nissan signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in December, confirming plans to create a new joint EV holding business, the merger is already being called off.
During a board meeting on Wednesday, Nissan introduced it was considering scrapping the EV merger. , the announcement came after Nissan informed Honda that it planned to put talks on hold late Tuesday.
As Reuters reported, Nissan and Honda expressed the Nikkei study was not based on official enterprise announcements. A final decision on the merger is planned for mid-February.
With around 8 million in combined sales, the partnership would have established the third-largest auto group, behind Toyota and Volkswagen, with a value of around $58 billion.
Nissan already introduced it was cutting around 9,000 jobs and 20% of global output to cut costs and improve profits. Will it be enough without Honda’s help?
Nissan and Honda are quickly falling behind in the global auto market, with new threats like Tesla, BYD, and other Chinese automakers gaining momentum.
For the first time, BYD sold more vehicles globally than Nissan and Honda last year. With new EVs arriving in Europe, Southeast Asia, South and Central America, and several other overseas markets, BYD expects 2025 to be even bigger. In its first full sales year, BYD even sold more electric vehicles than Toyota in Japan, its home market.
Japanese automakers have already lost significant market share in China, one of their most crucial markets, but now sales are falling in other key regions.
The merger was expected to help the Japanese auto giants catch up as the industry shifts to EVs, “which is mentioned to occur once every 100 years,” ’s CEO Toshihiro Mibe.
During a press conference in December, Mibe explained that “the rise of Chinese automakers and new players has changed the car industry quite a lot,” adding, “We have to build up capabilities to fight with them by 2030, otherwise we’ll be beaten.”.
Can Honda and Nissan survive the transition without each other? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
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Volkswagen may build Porsche and Audi EVs in the US, thanks to Trump’s tariff tantrum
The next Porsche and Audi EVs could be made in the US. Volkswagen is considering moving Porsche and Audi EV production to the US after Trump threatened new tariffs on Europe, Mexico, Canada, and other major trade partners. Here’s how it would work.
Volkswagen mulls building Porsche EVs in the US.
Volkswagen is already feeling the pressure after global deliveries fell [website] in 2024 to just over 9 million units. The VW Group, including Audi and Porsche, delivered 744,800 EVs last year, down [website] from 2023 (771,100).
Although Volkswagen delivered more electric cars in China ([website], it was after a down year in 2023 as it lost market share to EV leaders like BYD. The organization presented that despite lower EV deliveries in Europe, it “remains by far BEV market leader” with around 21% market share.
In the US, sales of the sole Volkswagen-brand EV, the [website], fell 55% last year due to a recall and the rollout of an updated model. VW sold just over 17,000 [website] in the US, compared to nearly 37,800 in 2023.
The luxury Porsche brand didn’t fare much enhanced, with Taycan sales slipping 20% year-over-year. Like the [website], the Porsche Taycan received a significant refresh this past year. Porsche also began delivering the electric Macan in late 2024.
’s Handelsblatt, Volkswagen is considering expanding US production for Porsche and Audi EVs.
All Porsche and Audi EVs are currently built outside the US, making them particularly exposed to an increase in tariffs. The Audi Q5 is built in Mexico, while Porsche EV models are produced in Europe.
The move comes after US President Donald Trump proposed a 25% tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada. Most in the recent past, he threatened new tariffs against the European Union (EU), another one of the US’s main trade partners.
, Volkswagen’s most likely option is to expand its plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where the [website] is built.
It could also produce Audi EVs at its upcoming plant in SC, designed for the rugged Scout brand. The analysis indicates Audi could get a hardcore brand for itself, but that will be after Scout launches in 2027.
Porsche will collaborate with Audi to produce larger electric SUVs in the US, likely the Cayenne EV or the larger “K1” flagship model. The new electric SUVs will be based on VW’s new SSP platform, which will replace its current MEB.
The fresh tariff threats from Trump are the latest headache the Volkswagen Group will have to deal with. It’s already losing market share in key global markets like China as EV leaders like BYD continue gaining momentum with lower-cost and often more advanced vehicles.
Volkswagen is now considering selling multiple German plants they plan to halt production at to Chinese automakers.
After several delays, Volkswagen officially canceled the [website], its flagship sedan in the US. The model will only be sold in Europe and China.
With pure EV makers like Rivian and Lucid gaining momentum and a slate of new electric models from GM, Hyundai, Kia, Volvo, Jeep, Dodge, and several others arriving, will Volkswagen be able to keep pace in the US? Expanding local production may be the best option to even the playing field.
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Market Impact Analysis
Market Growth Trend
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.3% | 10.0% | 10.5% | 11.6% | 12.3% | 12.7% | 12.8% |
Quarterly Growth Rate
| Q1 2024 | Q2 2024 | Q3 2024 | Q4 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10.9% | 11.7% | 12.4% | 12.8% |
Market Segments and Growth Drivers
| Segment | Market Share | Growth Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Connected Cars | 35% | 14.2% |
| Autonomous Driving | 22% | 18.5% |
| EV Technology | 28% | 21.9% |
| Telematics | 10% | 9.7% |
| Other Automotive Tech | 5% | 6.3% |
Technology Maturity Curve
Different technologies within the ecosystem are at varying stages of maturity:
Competitive Landscape Analysis
| Company | Market Share |
|---|---|
| Tesla | 16.9% |
| Waymo | 12.3% |
| NVIDIA DRIVE | 10.7% |
| Bosch | 9.5% |
| Continental | 7.8% |
Future Outlook and Predictions
The Elon Musk Poached landscape is evolving rapidly, driven by technological advancements, changing threat vectors, and shifting business requirements. Based on current trends and expert analyses, we can anticipate several significant developments across different time horizons:
Year-by-Year Technology Evolution
Based on current trajectory and expert analyses, we can project the following development timeline:
Technology Maturity Curve
Different technologies within the ecosystem are at varying stages of maturity, influencing adoption timelines and investment priorities:
Innovation Trigger
- Generative AI for specialized domains
- Blockchain for supply chain verification
Peak of Inflated Expectations
- Digital twins for business processes
- Quantum-resistant cryptography
Trough of Disillusionment
- Consumer AR/VR applications
- General-purpose blockchain
Slope of Enlightenment
- AI-driven analytics
- Edge computing
Plateau of Productivity
- Cloud infrastructure
- Mobile applications
Technology Evolution Timeline
- Technology adoption accelerating across industries
- digital transformation initiatives becoming mainstream
- Significant transformation of business processes through advanced technologies
- new digital business models emerging
- Fundamental shifts in how technology integrates with business and society
- emergence of new technology paradigms
Expert Perspectives
Leading experts in the automotive tech sector provide diverse perspectives on how the landscape will evolve over the coming years:
"Technology transformation will continue to accelerate, creating both challenges and opportunities."
— Industry Expert
"Organizations must balance innovation with practical implementation to achieve meaningful results."
— Technology Analyst
"The most successful adopters will focus on business outcomes rather than technology for its own sake."
— Research Director
Areas of Expert Consensus
- Acceleration of Innovation: The pace of technological evolution will continue to increase
- Practical Integration: Focus will shift from proof-of-concept to operational deployment
- Human-Technology Partnership: Most effective implementations will optimize human-machine collaboration
- Regulatory Influence: Regulatory frameworks will increasingly shape technology development
Short-Term Outlook (1-2 Years)
In the immediate future, organizations will focus on implementing and optimizing currently available technologies to address pressing automotive tech challenges:
- Technology adoption accelerating across industries
- digital transformation initiatives becoming mainstream
These developments will be characterized by incremental improvements to existing frameworks rather than revolutionary changes, with emphasis on practical deployment and measurable outcomes.
Mid-Term Outlook (3-5 Years)
As technologies mature and organizations adapt, more substantial transformations will emerge in how security is approached and implemented:
- Significant transformation of business processes through advanced technologies
- new digital business models emerging
This period will see significant changes in security architecture and operational models, with increasing automation and integration between previously siloed security functions. Organizations will shift from reactive to proactive security postures.
Long-Term Outlook (5+ Years)
Looking further ahead, more fundamental shifts will reshape how cybersecurity is conceptualized and implemented across digital ecosystems:
- Fundamental shifts in how technology integrates with business and society
- emergence of new technology paradigms
These long-term developments will likely require significant technical breakthroughs, new regulatory frameworks, and evolution in how organizations approach security as a fundamental business function rather than a technical discipline.
Key Risk Factors and Uncertainties
Several critical factors could significantly impact the trajectory of automotive tech evolution:
Organizations should monitor these factors closely and develop contingency strategies to mitigate potential negative impacts on technology implementation timelines.
Alternative Future Scenarios
The evolution of technology can follow different paths depending on various factors including regulatory developments, investment trends, technological breakthroughs, and market adoption. We analyze three potential scenarios:
Optimistic Scenario
Rapid adoption of advanced technologies with significant business impact
Key Drivers: Supportive regulatory environment, significant research breakthroughs, strong market incentives, and rapid user adoption.
Probability: 25-30%
Base Case Scenario
Measured implementation with incremental improvements
Key Drivers: Balanced regulatory approach, steady technological progress, and selective implementation based on clear ROI.
Probability: 50-60%
Conservative Scenario
Technical and organizational barriers limiting effective adoption
Key Drivers: Restrictive regulations, technical limitations, implementation challenges, and risk-averse organizational cultures.
Probability: 15-20%
Scenario Comparison Matrix
| Factor | Optimistic | Base Case | Conservative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Implementation Timeline | Accelerated | Steady | Delayed |
| Market Adoption | Widespread | Selective | Limited |
| Technology Evolution | Rapid | Progressive | Incremental |
| Regulatory Environment | Supportive | Balanced | Restrictive |
| Business Impact | Transformative | Significant | Modest |
Transformational Impact
Technology becoming increasingly embedded in all aspects of business operations. This evolution will necessitate significant changes in organizational structures, talent development, and strategic planning processes.
The convergence of multiple technological trends—including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and ubiquitous connectivity—will create both unprecedented security challenges and innovative defensive capabilities.
Implementation Challenges
Technical complexity and organizational readiness remain key challenges. Organizations will need to develop comprehensive change management strategies to successfully navigate these transitions.
Regulatory uncertainty, particularly around emerging technologies like AI in security applications, will require flexible security architectures that can adapt to evolving compliance requirements.
Key Innovations to Watch
Artificial intelligence, distributed systems, and automation technologies leading innovation. Organizations should monitor these developments closely to maintain competitive advantages and effective security postures.
Strategic investments in research partnerships, technology pilots, and talent development will position forward-thinking organizations to leverage these innovations early in their development cycle.
Technical Glossary
Key technical terms and definitions to help understand the technologies discussed in this article.
Understanding the following technical concepts is essential for grasping the full implications of the security threats and defensive measures discussed in this article. These definitions provide context for both technical and non-technical readers.
API beginner
How APIs enable communication between different software systemselectric vehicle intermediate
platform intermediate
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