Elon Musk arrives in China for a summit tied to US President Donald Trump and meets Xi Jinping amid a complicated mix of praise and backlash. Tesla’s tech leadership still inspires competitors as sales near 626,000 units, with China contributing about a fifth of revenue. Yet Musk also faces regulator and public criticism over customer complaints, while SpaceX’s Starlink alarms Beijing’s military planners. Musk must navigate intensifying domestic EV competition and China’s shifting security priorities.
President Donald Trump is set to visit China, with Beijing urging that four “red lines” in bilateral relations must not be challenged. The Chinese Embassy also highlighted the tightly guarded issues while Trump travels with major US business leaders, including Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and Tesla’s Elon Musk, to discuss economic opening measures with Xi Jinping.
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Former Tesla executive Drew Baglino has launched Sadi Thermal Machines, a heat pump startup aimed at improving how heat is generated and moved. The company is Baglino’s second venture since he left Tesla in 2024, following earlier work with Heron Power. Tech observers see the move as a continued push into electrification and energy efficiency.
Battery-recycling and energy-storage startup Redwood Materials is moving closer to its next phase by hiring Deepak Ahuja, the former Tesla finance chief. The appointment reunites him with ex-Tesla CTO JB Straubel. Despite the leadership shakeup, Ahuja indicates it’s “too early” to discuss an IPO, signaling a focus on execution before any public-market plans.
Tesla has introduced the long-wheelbase six-seater Model Y L in India for ₹61.99 lakh, with deliveries starting June 2026 and a 681 km WLTP range. At the same time, Tesla’s 2026 Model Y in the U.S. became the first vehicle to pass NHTSA’s newly updated ADAS safety tests, adding requirements like pedestrian AEB and blind-spot intervention.
A new US driver assistance safety benchmark has been introduced, and the 2026 Tesla Model Y is the first vehicle to meet it. The rating applies specifically to Model Y units assembled on or after November 12, 2025, meaning earlier builds won’t automatically qualify. Tesla’s latest result sets a new reference point for future vehicles and software updates.
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Tesla earned over $500 million last year from Elon Musk’s other businesses. xAI contributed roughly $430 million, while SpaceX added about $143 million. The reported revenue links Tesla to services tied to AI chatbots and energy storage, with additional xAI-related revenue showing up for Tesla earlier this year.
Elon Musk’s $158 billion Tesla compensation package spotlights widening economic gaps. As workers grapple with stagnant wages and AI-driven job insecurity, Musk’s pay—tied to ambitious future performance targets—far exceeds current earnings. Critics call it a warning sign of an unsustainable pay-and-growth model that rewards executives while many employees see little benefit.
Tesla’s latest pay filing has stunned markets with a headline CEO compensation figure of $158 billion, described as record-setting and fully performance-based. But the twist is the deal reportedly pays out $0 to Musk, turning the “earned” number into a paradox worth unpacking—where expectations and accounting meet performance conditions.
Tesla reported Elon Musk’s 2025 compensation at $158 billion, but the headline number mostly represents the potential value of stock awards. The company stresses that realized compensation can differ sharply from reported figures. Whether Musk actually earns that amount hinges on Tesla’s stock performance and meeting specific operational milestones—he has not cashed in yet.
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Tesla says it plans to bring its humanoid robot Optimus to India “when the time is right,” without giving a specific timeline. Speaking during the launch of the Model Y in India, a senior official also indicated Tesla’s integrated energy solutions business could follow in the future, signaling a wider push beyond cars.
Tesla’s long-awaited Cybercab robotaxi has reportedly entered production, with CEO Elon Musk sharing videos of the driverless vehicle rolling off the factory floor. The announcement comes right after Tesla’s first-quarter profit update. Tesla now targets volume production of both the Cybercab and Tesla Semi this year, building on the stepless design first unveiled in 2024.
Tesla is ramping up its India presence by expanding both its Supercharger network and service centres. The new Supercharger stations are planned along major highways to connect major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Chennai. Tesla also notes home charging is available across 28 states, aiming to build an end to end charging ecosystem for customers.
Tesla says it will add more than 1,000 jobs in Germany, a rare bright spot for an auto industry facing layoffs. While German automakers struggle with high costs and fierce competition from China, Tesla’s move signals potential momentum and a different bet on future demand and production capacity in Europe’s biggest auto market.
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Tesla is set to use Intel’s advanced 14A chip manufacturing technology for its Terafab project, marking Intel’s first key customer for the 14A process. Intel expects the win to strengthen confidence in its next-generation manufacturing roadmap as it looks for more chipmaking clients. For Elon Musk, the partnership supports ambitions in robotics and data centers.
Tesla has launched the Model Y L in India, bringing an extended wheelbase alongside premium features, advanced technology, and fast charging. Positioned strategically between Tesla’s higher-end and lower-cost lineups, the new variant aims to offer a middle-ground experience for Indian EV buyers looking for added comfort and performance-ready capability.
Elon Musk says Tesla’s Terafab AI chip project in Texas will use Intel’s 14A process. The planned complex, beginning early research fab construction at Giga Texas, targets chips for Tesla vehicles, Optimus robots, and AI data centers. If timelines hold, it signals Tesla’s push to control its compute supply for both products and future AI workloads.
Tesla has raised its spending plan for 2026 by about a quarter, pushing it to more than $25 billion. CEO Elon Musk is channeling the increase into AI, robotics, and chips, arguing the bets are “well justified” for future revenue. The move underscores how much of Tesla’s value now hinges on self-driving cabs and humanoid robots—at a cost investors are starting to scrutinize.
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Tesla has launched the six-seater Model Y L in India on April 22, 2026, starting at ₹61.99–62 lakh ex-showroom. The premium three-row EV sits between the standard Model Y and long-range RWD, offering up to 681 km WLTP range and 201 km/h top speed. But with 100% import duty, local manufacturing and service expansion remain key hurdles.
Tesla chief Elon Musk discusses tariffs, H-1B visas, and his unusual involvement with the newly referenced Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) during Nikhil Kamath’s podcast. Musk calls it an “interesting side quest” that exposed how US government works. He also says he attempted to persuade Donald Trump that tariffs could harm the economy, but wasn’t successful.
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