As Africas tech ecosystem booms, more local talent is landing remote jobs with Big Tech firms and global startups. But getting paid remains a challenge for many of these freelancers and remote workers. They struggle to open accounts that accept US dollars, with foreign employers using incompatible payment platforms, and face slow invoicing and payment processes.Enter Raenest, one of the many local fintechs that has stepped in to fix this. The company just raised $11 million in Series A funding, led by QED Investors, to expand its reach across Africa. Through its retail product, Geegpay, launched in early 2022, Raenest offers freelancers virtual USD, GBP, and EUR accounts. These accounts help them receive payments, manage multi-currency wallets, and convert currencies. Raenest also provides virtual and physical debit cards that accept multiple currencies like U.S. dollars.Last March, the Lagos-based Raenest expanded beyond freelancers with Raenest for Business, a platform that provides the same financial services to African businesses, allowing them to send and receive international payments.Growth beyond freelancersInterestingly, Raenest didnt start with freelancers in mind. Victor Alade, along with co-founders Sodruldeen Mustapha and Richard Oyome, launched the company in 2022 as an Employer of Record (EOR) assisting foreign companies to pay African employees compliantly.However, a couple of months in, the founders realized the real problem wasnt with companies sending payments, it was with individuals struggling to receive them.A U.S. company might not care if a payment is delayed by five days. But for someone in Nigeria or Kenya, thats a big dealespecially when converting to local currency becomes another hurdle, CEO Alade, a former software engineer at Jumia and Andela, told TechCrunch.Also drawing from his remote work experience, Alade and his co-founders, who also bring experience working with African fintechs like LemFi and FairMoney, pivoted Raenests focus to addressing this pain point.Geegpay quickly gained traction among freelancers, but business signups began to rise as well. The team realized that African companies also needed foreign accounts to streamline cross-border transactions. Businesses started asking if they could get fixed bank accounts to simplify payments, Alade added. Thats when we started thinking: How big is this opportunity? Who else is building for Africa?The addition of business banking couldnt have come at a better time. Around the same period, U.S.-based fintech Mercury started restricting business accounts from several countries, including parts of Africa. This created a gap in the market, giving local fintechs like Raenest an opportunity to serve business customers.Meanwhile, the EOR space was quite competitive with major players like Deel starting to look into the continent more closely. These events made Raenest lean into what it saw as a better opportunity: offering African businesses a way to receive and send international payments.Scaling to serve individuals and businessesThat bet is paying off. Since launching in 2022, Raenest has processed over $1 billion in payment volume a 160% growth between 2023 and 2024 serving freelancers and businesses across the continent. Today, more than 700,000 individuals use the platform to receive payments from global platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, and Gusto. They also use it for online shopping and subscriptions.On the other hand, over 300 businesses rely on Raenest to collect payments from international customers, raise capital from investors, and make cross-border payments. Its client list includes African startups like Moniepoint, Helium Health, Fez Delivery, and Matta.Image Credits:RaenestRaenest competes with several fintech startups offering multicurrency accounts to customers in Africa, including Afriex, Cleva, Grey, Verto, and Leatherback. Alade argues that Raenest has an edge because it targets individuals and businesses, unlike most players that cater exclusively to one customer type. Beyond its dual approach, Raenest prioritizes speed, security, reliability, and compliance to retain users, Alade said.Raenests ambitions extend beyond cross-border payments. We want to create a safe and seamless financial ecosystem for Africans helping them earn, invest, and grow their wealth, no matter where they are in the world, Alade said, hinting at upcoming product launches.Expansion plansCurrently, the three-year-old fintech operates in Nigeria under a money transfer license. As part of its next growth phase, the company will look to deepen its presence in Nigeria while securing licenses for expansion into Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, and the U.S. This move will allow Raenest to serve Africans on the continent and in the diaspora.With banking partnerships in the U.S. and U.K., Raenest is also working to secure more in these regions as it scales. Along the way, the company aims to attract top talent to support its expansion even as it brings Geegpay and Raenest for Business under a single brand, Raenest.The latest $11 million Series A round brings Raenests total funding to $14.3 million. Lead investor QED, one of the worlds top fintech VC firms, has been steadily increasing its footprint in Africa since 2022. It has backed five startups providing financial services on the continent: Moniepoint, Remedial Health, Precium, Cedar Money, and now Raenest.We firmly believe that by bridging the gap between local and global markets, Raenest will unlock new opportunities for African entrepreneurs, freelancers and businesses, ultimately driving greater economic empowerment across the continent, said Gbenga Ajayi, partner and head of Africa and the Middle East at QED Investors. Other investors in the round include pan-African early-to-growth-stage VC firms, such as Norrsken22, Ventures Platform, P1 Ventures, and Seedstars.

Two senior partners are leaving Peak XV, one of the worlds largest venture capital firms, four sources familiar with the matter told TechCrunch.Shailesh Lakhani, a 17-year veteran of the firm, and Abheek Anand, who co-led Southeast Asian investments, are departing, said the sources requesting anonymity.Peak XV didnt immediately respond to requests for comment.The exits follow Peak XVs decision in October to cut its fund size by more than $400 million to $2.40 billion and reduce management fees, moves that reflected growing caution in Indias venture market after years of soaring valuations.At the time, Peak XV said it was trimming the fund to become more deeply aligned with its limited partners. Lakhani has been behind several successful investments for Peak XV, including beauty brand Minimalist, which last month sold to Hindustan Unilever for $350 million, as well as Ixigo and Truecaller, both of which went public. At least three of the companies he led investments in Zetwerk, Capillary and Porter are preparing for IPOs within 12-15 months.Other companies he brought into Peak XVs fold include OneCard, Polygon, CoinSwitch, HealthKart and CarDekho.Anand has led investments in edtech startup Cuemath, trade platform Openborder, Indonesian e-commerce company Ula, and online grocer Grofers (acquired by Zomato and rebranded to Blinkit, now the top quick-commerce business in India).Anand joined the firm 12 years ago.The two will continue to hold some of their existing board representations, other people familiar with the matter said.The two exits are the latest in a series of departures at Peak XV, which split from Sequoia in mid-2023. That split, the firms said, was driven by the need to avoid conflicts amid rising U.S.-China tensions. Peak XV, formerly Sequoia Capital India, rebranded and became independent while retaining the largest venture capital operation in India and Southeast Asia.The firm still has 10 managing directors overseeing more than 400 portfolio companies, which include over 50 unicorns.The changes come as Indias venture industry faces a cooldown after years of aggressive growth. Investors have grown more selective, emphasizing profitability over the growth-at-all-costs model that dominated during the bull years following the COVID-19 pandemic.

3D Printing Industry is hosting alive webinar to preview the 2025 AMUG Conference. Join us and our guests tomorrow!International design studio Hassell has completed a 3D printed community building in Hope Village, Tanzania, using locally sourced earth.The project is part of a broader effort to create a safe and supportive space for vulnerable young girls in Kibaha. Developed in partnership with fellow architect ClarkeHopkinsClarke, the plan also includes family housing, a school for 480 students, and facilities for childcare and skills training, extending its impact to the wider community.Hope Village has been set up as a rescue centre for children suffering from hardship and unsafe environments across various regions in Tanzania. The entire village design will offer these children and their community facilities including a school, housing, play areas and more, Dr. Consola Elia, lead house parent of the childrens homes at Hope Village.Hassells 3D printed community building. Photo via Hassell.Inspired by natures intricacyAt the heart of the design, crisscrossing 3D printed earth walls shape the structure, blending traditional building materials with digital fabrication techniques.A canopy made from short timber segments, designed in partnership with the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) and engineering firm Eckersley OCallaghan, forms a sweeping roof that stretches over the main hall. The team is also working directly with the local community, offering employment and hands-on training throughout the construction process.Each timber segment connects to create a flexible, woven-like surface, draped over a central steel spine for structural support. Corrugated metal sheet cladding adds durability while keeping the space open and inviting. Inside, movable partitions allow the hall to shift between smaller rooms and a larger communal space, adapting to different needs.It is important to note that the building isnt just a shelter, but also a shared resource. A kitchen, bakery, and communal storage offer practical amenities, while open access on weekends turns the space into a gathering spot for performances, meetings, and events.More than just an architectural project, the structure is set to become a central hub for learning, connection, and opportunity, serving as a recognizable landmark in Hope Village.The master plan supports, cares for, and provides education to 480 vulnerable young school girls within Kibaha. Photo via Hassell.In March 2023, the design studio unveiled plans with and to.org, for a 3D printed pavilion made from recycled plastic, designed to function off-grid while adapting to diverse climates. Inspired by indigenous shelters, the structure was developed in collaboration with Nagami, utilizing computational design and additive manufacturing.The pavilion consists of 24 modular components, making it easily transportable and customizable for different environments. Its climate-responsive features include snow-insulating fins for colder regions and shading with passive cooling for warmer climates. Beyond serving as a space for meditation and education, the project aims to highlight plastic waste as a construction resource, establishing a precedent for sustainable architecture while promoting conversations around material waste and eco-innovation.Towards more sustainable construction approachesThe use of recycled waste and locally sourced earth for construction offers a sustainable approach to building, reducing environmental impact while utilizing readily available materials. For example, Italian 3D printer manufacturer WASP worked with Milans Rossana Orlandi gallery to present Gaia, a 3D printed eco-house built using natural and sustainable materials.Featured in the We Are Nature exhibition at the Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology, the project showcased a design incorporating raw soil, natural fibers, and integrated ventilation systems. The exhibition aimed to raise awareness about environmentally conscious construction methods, emphasizing plastic waste reduction and lowering CO emissions in the building industry.A recent by ETH Zurich introduced Impact Printing, a robotic construction technique using Earth-based materials such as sand, clay, silt, and gravel to create load-bearing structures. Unlike conventional 3D printing, which often relies on cement-based materials, this method reduces carbon emissions by utilizing locally sourced, recyclable materials.A robotic tool shoots the material at high velocities, up to 32 feet per second, allowing structures to be built without chemical stabilizers. While its compressive strength is lower than concrete, it is sufficient for two-story buildings. The research team aims to commercialize the technology within three years, seeing it as a cost-effective, low-carbon alternative to industrialized building methods.To stay up to date with the latest 3D printing news, dont forget to subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter or follow us on Twitter, or like our page on Facebook.While youre here, why not subscribe to our Youtube channel? Featuring discussion, debriefs, video shorts, and webinar replays.Featured image shows Hassells 3D printed community building. Photo via Hassell.

Apple has released iOS 18.3.1, an emergency patch that fixes a single security issue thats already ... [+] being used in real-life attacks.Apple iPhone Apple has released iOS 18.3.1, along with a warning to update your iPhone now. Thats because iOS 18.3.1 is an emergency patch that fixes a single security issue thats already being used in real-life attacks.Apple doesnt give much detail about whats fixed in iOS 18.3.1, to give iPhone users as much time as possible to update before more attackers can get hold of the details.But what we do know is, the iOS 18.3.1 update fixes a flaw in Accessibility where a physical attack may disable USB Restricted Mode on a locked device. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been exploited in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals, the iPhone maker said on its support page.Tracked as CVE-2025-24200, the issue patched in iOS 18.3.1 was reported by Bill Marczak of The Citizen Lab at The University of Torontos Munk School.iOS 18.3.1 A Targeted Attack Involving SpywareThe fact that the flaw fixed in iOS 18.3.1 was so targeted and sophisticated indicates the attack involved spyware. This is further backed up by the fact that the vulnerability was reported by The Citizen Lab an organization that investigates digital espionage against civil society.MORE FOR YOUIt was clear iOS 18.3.1 was coming the update had been leaked last week, but no one knew what it contained. At the time, I speculated that it could include emergency security fixes, and it looks like I was right. Apple only released iOS 18.3 at the end of Jan., again illustrating the emergency nature of this iPhone upgrade.Why You Should Update Now to iOS 18.3.1Make no mistake, spyware attacks are bad, giving adversaries complete control of your device including your mic. Spyware can also allow attackers to see anything om your screen including encrypted messages such as WhatsApp.The attack fixed in iOS 18.3.1 was highly-targeted, with spyware affecting high-profile people such as journalists, dissidents, some businesses and government officials. If you fit into this group, update right now.Spyware can also be disrupted if you turn your iPhone on and off again, so do this regularly if you fit into the spyware target group.Apples iOS 18.3.1 is available for the iPhone XS and later, iPad Pro 13-inch, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 7th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later. If you have one of these devices, you should update now to protect your iPhone or iPad from attacks.Apple issued iOS 18.3.1 alongside iPadOS 17.7.5, but this is only available for the iPad Pro 12.9-inch 2nd generation, iPad Pro 10.5-inch, and iPad 6th generation. There is no iPhone update for older iPhones which could be because they are not impacted, but as far as I am aware, Apple is not updating iOS 17 for this who simply want to choose to stay on the older operating system.With the flaw fixed in iOS 18.3.1 being used in real-life attacks, its essential that you update your iPhone now to keep it safe. You know what to do. Go to your Settings > Software Update and upgrade your iPhone to iOS 18.3.1.

Surprising update hits Galaxy S25 buyersNurPhoto via Getty ImagesExciting times for Samsung owners. The new Galaxy S25s is now shipping and older flagships S24s and S23s are due an Android 15 / One UI 7 upgrade very soon. The new OS has endured delay after delay, but cant be much longer now. But for those who have bought a new Galaxy S25, theres a surprising sting in the tail.Last week, the U.S. governments cyber defense agency ordered all federal staffers to update all Android devices by February 26th or power them down. This followed Googles warning that a zero-day vulnerability within in Androids kernel was under active exploitation. It rushed out the fix for Pixels, which is available now.Meanwhile, Samsung dropped its own February security update, but the fix for CVE-2024-53104 was missing. It seems likely this will release alongside or in addition to the monthly release, despite its exclusion from the bulletin. Either that or its rolling over to March. We have seen both approaches for other recent critical fixes. Whichever approach is taken, Id expect CVE-2024-53104 to be listed in Marchs update.The critical security issue affects the way a devices memory handles video frames, with oversized frames destabilizing memory and opening the device to other exploits. While details are scarce, its thought this has been actively exploited by targeting phones via a physical USB connection. The likely culprits not unusually are assumed to be forensic data grabs, as used by law enforcement and others.MORE FOR YOUAs Recorded Future warns, this vulnerability could be exploited by malicious actors to execute arbitrary code or cause denial-of-service conditions. Users are strongly advised to update their Linux kernels to address this security flaw.While this missing fix is bad news for all Galaxy owners, its surprisingly worse for those buying the new S25. While Februarys release doesnt officially address the issue, the S25 actually still appears to be stuck on Decembers release, which is not a good look.Samsung needs to act fast, Pune News says. While the excitement surrounding the [S25s] speed, camera, and features is palpable, a serious security concern has emerged that could dampen its appeal. Despite being praised for its performance, the S25 Ultra is still vulnerable to a critical security flaw that could affect users. A zero-day vulnerability identified in the February 2025 Android security patch has been actively exploited, and the device is yet to receive the fix, leaving it exposed to potential threats.SammyFans warns the Galaxy S25 has one big security flaw, an issue which hackers could exploit. The website says that with the Galaxy S25 Ultra still running on the December 2024 security patch, it has been left vulnerable, which unlike previous updates, [is] urgent due to the active exploitation of the vulnerability.I have asked Samsung for an update on the timing for its CVE-2024-53104 fix, for both Galaxy 25s and older flagships, and will provide any new update here.

By KIMBERLY KINDY and BRIAN SLODYSKO / APFebruary 11, 2025 3:00 AM ESTWASHINGTON Elon Musk has long railed against the U.S. government, saying a crushing number of federal investigations and safety programs have stymied Tesla, his electric car company, and its efforts to create fleets of robotaxis and other self-driving automobiles.Now, Musks close relationship with President Donald Trump means many of those federal headaches could vanish within weeks or months.On the potential chopping block: crash investigations into Teslas partially automated vehicles; a Justice Department criminal probe examining whether Musk and Tesla have overstated their cars self-driving capabilities; and a government mandate to report crash data on vehicles using technology like Teslas Autopilot.The consequences of such actions could prove dire, say safety advocates who credit the federal investigations and recalls with saving lives.Musk wants to run the Department of Transportation, said Missy Cummings, a former senior safety adviser at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Ive lost count of the number of investigations that are underway with Tesla. They will all be gone.Within days of Trump taking office, the White House and Musk began waging an unbridled war against the federal governmentfreezing spending and programs while sacking a host of career employees, including prosecutors and government watchdogs typically shielded from such brazen dismissals without cause.The actions have sparked outcries from legal scholars who say the Trump administrations actions are without modern-day precedent and are already upending the balance of power in Washington.The Trump administration has not yet declared any actions that could benefit Tesla or Musks other companies. However, snuffing out federal investigations or jettisoning safety initiatives would be an easier task than their assault on regulators and the bureaucracy.Investigations into companies like Tesla can be shut down overnight by the new leaders of agencies. And safety programs created through an agency order or initiativenot by laws passed by Congress or adopted through a formal regulatory processcan also be quickly dissolved by new leaders. Unlike many of the dismantling efforts that Trump and Musk have launched in recent weeks, stalling or killing such probes and programs would not be subject to legal challenges.As such, the temporal and fragile nature of the federal probes and safety programs make them easy targets for those seeking to weaken government oversight and upend long-established norms.Trumps election, and the bromance between Trump and Musk, will essentially lead to the defanging of a regulatory environment thats been stifling Tesla, said Daniel Ives, a veteran Wall Street technology and automobile industry analyst.Musks empireAmong Musks businesses, the federal governments power over Tesla to investigate, order recalls, and mandate crash data reporting is perhaps the most wide-ranging. However, the ways the Trump administration could quickly ease up on Tesla also apply in some measure to other companies in Musks sprawling business empire.A host of Musks other businessessuch as his aerospace company SpaceX and his social media company Xare subjects of federal investigations.Musks businesses are also intertwined with the federal government, pocketing hundreds of millions of dollars each year in contracts. SpaceX, for example, has secured nearly $20 billion in federal funds since 2008 to ferry astronauts and satellites into space. Tesla, meanwhile, has received $41.9 million from the U.S. government, including payment for vehicles provided to some U.S. embassies.Musk, Teslas billionaire CEO, has found himself in his newly influential position by enthusiastically backing Trumps third bid for the White House. He was the largest donor to the campaign, plunging more than $270 million of his vast fortune into Trumps political apparatus, most of it during the final months of the heated presidential race.Those donations and his efforts during the campaignincluding the transformation of his social media platform X into a firehose of pro-Trump commentaryhave been rewarded by Trump, who has tapped the entrepreneur to oversee efforts to slash government regulations and spending.Read More: Inside Elon Musks War on Washington As the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, Musk operates out of an office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where most White House staff work and from where he has launched his assault on the federal government. Musks power under DOGE is being challenged in the courts.Even before Trump took office, there were signs that Musks vast influence with the new administration was registering with the publicand paying dividends for Tesla.Teslas stock surged more than 60% by December. Since then, its stock price has dropped, but still remains 40% higher than it was before Trumps election.For Musk, said Ives, the technology analyst, betting on Trump is a poker move for the ages.Proposed actions will help TeslaThe White House did not respond to questions about how it would handle investigations and government oversight involving Tesla or other Musk companies. A spokesman for the transition team said last month that the White House would ensure that DOGE and those involved with it are compliant with all legal guidelines and conflicts of interest.In the weeks before Trump took office on Jan. 20, the president-elects transition team recommended changes that would benefit the billionaire and his car company, including scrapping the federal order requiring carmakers to report crash data involving self-driving and partially automated technology.The action would be a boon for Tesla, which has reported a vast majority of the crashes that triggered a series of investigations and recalls.The transition team also recommended shelving a $7,500 consumer tax credit for electric vehicle purchases, something Musk has publicly called for.Take away the subsidies. It will only help Tesla, Musk wrote in a post on X as he campaigned and raised money for Trump in July.Auto industry experts say the move would have a nominal impact on Teslaby far the largest electric vehicle maker in the U.S.but have a potentially devastating impact on its competitors in the EV sector since they are still struggling to secure a foothold in the market.Musk did not respond to requests for comment. Before the election, he posted a message on X, saying he had never asked Trump for any favors, nor has he offered me any.Although most of the changes that Musk might seek for Tesla could unfold quickly, there is one long-term goal that could impact the autonomous vehicle industry for decades to come.Though nearly 30 states have rules that specifically govern self-driving cars, the federal government has yet to craft such regulations.During a late October call with Tesla investors, as Musk was pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into Trumps campaign, he signaled support for having the federal government create these rules.There should be a federal approval process for autonomous vehicles, Musk said on the call. If theres a department of government efficiency, Ill try to help make that happen.Musk leads that very organization.Those affected by Tesla crashes worry about lax oversightPeople whose lives have been forever changed by Tesla crashes fear that dangerous and fatal accidents may increase if the federal governments investigative and recall powers are restricted.They say they worry that the company may otherwise never be held accountable for its failures, like the one that took the life of 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon.The college student was on a date with her boyfriend, gazing at the stars on the side of a rural Florida road, when they were struck by an out-of-control Tesla driving on Autopilota system that allows Tesla cars to operate without driver input. The car had blown through a stop sign, a flashing light and five yellow warning signs, according to dashcam video and a police report.Benavides Leon died at the scene; her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo, suffered injuries but survived. A federal investigation determined that Autopilot in Teslas at this time was faulty and needed repairs.We, as a family, have never been the same, said Benavides Leons sister, Neima. Im an engineer, and everything that we design and we build has to be by important codes and regulations. This technology cannot be an exception.It has to be investigated when it fails, she added. Because it does fail.Teslas lawyers did not respond to requests for comment. In a statement on Twitter in December 2023, Tesla pointed to an earlier lawsuit the Benavides Leons family had brought against the driver who struck the college student. He testified that despite using Autopilot, I was highly aware that it was still my responsibility to operate the vehicle safely.Tesla also said the driver was pressing the accelerator to maintain 60 mph, an action that effectively overrode Autopilot, which would have otherwise restricted the speed to 45 mph on the rural route, something Benavides Leons attorney disputes.Federal probes into TeslaThe federal agency that has the most power over Teslaand the entire automobile industryis the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is part of the Department of Transportation.NHTSA sets automobile safety standards that must be met before vehicles can enter the marketplace. It also has a quasi-law enforcement arm, the Office of Defects Investigation, which has the power to launch probes into crashes and seek recalls for safety defects.The agency has six pending investigations into Teslas self-driving technology, prompted by dozens of crashes that took place when the computerized systems were in use.Other federal agencies are also investigating Musk and Tesla, and all of those probes could be sidelined by Musk-friendly officials:The Securities and Exchange Commission and Justice Department are separately investigating whether Musk and Tesla overstated the autonomous capabilities of their vehicles, creating dangerous situations in which drivers may over rely on the cars technology.The Justice Department is also probing whether Tesla misled customers about how far its electric vehicles can travel before needing a charge.The National Labor Relations Board is weighing 12 unfair labor practice allegations leveled by workers at Tesla plants.The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is asking a federal judge to force Tesla to enact reforms and pay compensatory and punitive damages and backpay to Black employees who say they were subjected to racist attacks. In a federal lawsuit, the agency has alleged that supervisors and other employees at Teslas plant in Fremont, California, routinely hurled racist insults at Black employees.Experts said most, if not all, of those investigations could be shut down, especially at the Justice Department where Trump has long shown a willingness to meddle in the departments affairs. The Trump administration has already ordered the firing of dozens of prosecutors who handled the criminal cases from the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.DOJ is not going to be prosecuting Elon Musk, said Peter Zeidenberg, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Justice Departments public integrity section who served during the Clinton and George H.W. Bush administrations. Id expect that any investigations that were ongoing will be ground to an abrupt end.Trump has also taken steps to gain control of the NLRB and EEOC. Last month, he fired Democratic members of the board and commission, breaking with decades of precedent. One member has sued, and two others are exploring legal options.Tesla and Musk have denied wrongdoing in all those investigations and are fighting the probes.The small safety agency in Musks crosshairsThe federal agency that appears to have enjoyed the most success in changing Teslas behavior is NHTSA, an organization of about 750 staffers that has forced the company to hand over crash data and cooperate in its investigations and requested recalls.NHTSA has been a thorn in Musks side for over the last decade, and hes grappled with almost every three-letter agency in the Beltway, said Ives, the Wall Street analyst who covers the technology sector and automobile industry. Thats all created what looks to be a really big soap opera in 2025.Musk has repeatedly blamed the federal government for impeding Teslas progress and creating negative publicity with recalls of his cars after its self-driving technology malfunctions or crashes.The word recall should be recalled, Musk posted on Twitter (now X) in 2014. Two years ago, he posted, The word recall for an over-the-air software update is anachronistic and just flat wrong!Michael Brooks, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, a non-profit consumer advocacy group, said some investigations might continue under Trump, but a recall is less likely to happen if a defect is found.As with most car companies, Teslas recalls have so far been voluntary. The threat of public hearings about a defect that precedes a NHTSA-ordered recall has generally prompted car companies to act on their own.That threat could be easily stripped away by the new NHTSA administrator, who will be a Trump appointee.If there isnt a threat of recall, will Tesla do them? Brooks said. Unfortunately, this is where politics seeps in.NHTSA conducting several probes of TeslaAmong the active NHTSA investigations, several are examining fundamental aspects of Teslas partially automated driving systems that were in use when dozens of crashes occurred.An investigation of Teslas Full Self-Driving system started in October after Tesla reported four crashes to NHTSA in which the vehicles had trouble navigating through sun glare, fog and airborne dust. In one of the accidents, an Arizona woman was killed after stopping on a freeway to help someone involved in another crash.Under pressure from NHTSA, Tesla has twice recalled the Full Self-Driving feature for software updates. The technologythe most advanced of Teslas Autopilot systemsis supposed to allow drivers to travel from point to point with little human intervention. But repeated malfunctions led NHTSA to recently launch a new inquiry that includes a crash in July that killed a motorcyclist near Seattle.NHTSA announced its latest investigation in January into Actually Smart Summon, a Tesla technology that allows drivers to remotely move a car, after the agency learned of four incidents from a driver and several media reports.The agency said that in each collision, the vehicles were using the system that Tesla pushed out in a September software update that was failing to detect posts or parked vehicles, resulting in a crash. NHTSA also criticized Tesla for failing to notify the agency of those accidents.NHTSA is also conducting a probe into whether a 2023 recall of Autopilot, the most basic of Teslas partially automated driver assistance systems, was effective.That recall was supposed to boost the number of controls and alerts to keep drivers engaged; it had been prompted by an earlier NHTSA investigation that identified hundreds of crashes involving Autopilot that resulted in scores of injuries and more than a dozen deaths.In a letter to Tesla in April, agency investigators noted that crashes involving Autopilot continue and that they could not observe a difference between warnings issued to drivers before or after the new software had been installed.Critics have said that Teslas dont have proper sensors to be fully self-driving. Nearly all other companies working on autonomous vehicles use radar and laser sensors in addition to cameras to see better in the dark or in poor visibility conditions. Tesla, on the other hand, relies only on cameras to spot hazards.Musk has said that human drivers rely on their eyesight, so autonomous cars should be able to also get by with just cameras. He has called technology that relies on radar and light detection to discern objects a fools errand.Bryant Walker Smith, a Stanford Law School scholar and a leading automated driving expert, said Musks contention that the federal government is holding him back is not accurate. The problem, Smith said, is that Teslas autonomous vehicles cannot perform as advertised.Blaming the federal government for holding them back, it provides a convenient, if dubious, scapegoat for the lack of an actual automated driving system that works, Smith said.Smith and other autonomous vehicle experts say Musk has felt pressure to provide Tesla shareholders with excuses for repeated delays in rolling out its futuristic cars. The financial stake is enormous, which Musk acknowledged during a 2022 interview. He said the development of a fully self-driving vehicle was really the difference between Tesla being worth a lot of money and being worth basically zero.The collisions from Teslas malfunctioning technology on its vehicles have led not only to deaths but also catastrophic injuries that have forever altered peoples lives.Attorneys representing people injured in Tesla crashesor who represent surviving family members of those who diedsay without NHTSA, the only other way to hold the car company accountable is through civil lawsuits.When government cant do it, then the civil justice system is left to pick up the slack, said Brett Schreiber, whose law firm is handling four Tesla cases.However, Schreiber and other lawyers say if the federal governments investigative powers dont remain intact, Tesla may also not be held accountable in court.In the pending wrongful death lawsuit that Neima Benavides Leon filed against Tesla after her sisters death, her attorney told a Miami district judge the lawsuit would have likely been dropped if NHTSA hadnt investigated and found defects with the Autopilot system.All along we were hoping that the NHTSA investigation would produce what it did, in fact, end up producing, which is a finding of product defect and a recall, attorney Doug Eaton said during a March court hearing. And we had told you very early on in the case if NHTSA had not found that, we may very well drop the case. But they did, in fact, find this.

Buried in a garbage dump in Wales, U.K., is a hard drive containing Bitcoin worth a colossal $765 million, according to computer engineer James Howells.Howells accidentally discarded the smartphone-sized drive in 2013, but his local council has repeatedly refused him permission to enter the landfill site and search for it, citing factors such as environmental concerns and arguments over who is the lawful owner of the device now that its part of the dump.Recommended VideosBut theres been a new twist in this long-running story, as Newport Council recently revealed that its planning to close down the site in the next 12 months so that it can transform it into a solar farm to power the councils new garbage trucks. The decision to close it has given Howells a new idea for how he might be able to get hold of his much-missed hard drive. I would be potentially interested in purchasing the landfill site, he said in comments reported by the BBC this week. I have discussed this option recently with investment partners and it is very much on the table.The entire site is filled with more than 1.4 million tons of waste, and Howells thinks the hard drive is in an area containing around 100,000 tons of it.To find the drive and its 8,000 Bitcoins, Howells said he would deploy a team of human sorters, robot dogs, and an AI-powered machine thats capable of identifying a hard drive as it passes by on a conveyor belt. But if the drive has suffered damage, theres a chance he wont be able to ever recover his precious Bitcoins.But if the endeavor succeeded, Howells has said he would keep around 30% of the Bitcoins for himself, with 30% going to the recovery team, 30% to investors, and the remainder shared among local causes and Newport residents.Digital Trends reported on Howells lost hard drive in 2020, when the Bitcoin on it was valued at $75 million, around $700 million less than what its worth now.Howells told Business Insider in 2022 that he tries not to think too much about what his share of the money will enable him to do if he ever recovers it, otherwise you just drive yourself crazy.

The sports-betting and gambling group said Isaacs agreed to step down with immediate effect after five months in the role.

Europe should keep AI models open source or risk falling behind, said Meta's chief AI scientist.Open-source AI models allow for the free and open sharing of software to anyone for any purpose.Yann LeCun said that an open-source model allows everyone to benefit because progress is faster.Europe should keep artificial intelligence models open source or risk falling behind, said Meta's chief AI scientist.Yann LeCun said that Europe and some countries are trying to make open-source models illegal because they want to stay ahead of political rivals, which is a "huge mistake."He made the comments during his presentation at the AI Action Summit in Paris on Monday."When you do research in secret, you fall behind," the French-American computer scientist said. "The rest of the world will go open source and will overtake you. That's currently what's happening"Open-source AI models allow for the free and open sharing of software to anyone for any purpose.LeCun has been a strong advocate for open-source large language models and has reiterated that these systems should not be controlled by a small number of people or companies. He said that an open-source model allows everyone to benefit because progress is faster."We cannot afford to have those systems come from a handful of companies from the West Coast of the US or China," LeCun said on Monday.His comments follow the late-January release of an AI model from DeepSeek, an emerging Chinese AI startup, which rattled US tech and AI companies. Third-party tests showed themodel outperformed its peers from OpenAI, Meta, and other top developers, and the company said it was built for less money.DeepSeek's R1 model is open source, which lets others download and build on top of it."DeepSeek has profited from open research and open source (e.g. PyTorch and Llama from Meta)," the chief scientist wrote in a Threads post in January. "They came up with new ideas and built them on top of other people's work."Meta's AI models, called Llama, are mostly open-source, which LeCun has advocated for at the company. OpenAI, originally founded as an open-source AI company, has more recently shifted to closed-source models.European AI companies that use open-source models include French startup Mistral and Germany's Aleph Alpha.Both companies have criticized European proposals to regulate foundational model makers.European Union's Artificial Intelligence Act, approved in 2024, aims to combat the risk associated with powerful AI technology. Most recently, there has been debate about how to regulate foundation models like large language models under the act.

Google Maps has updated the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America for users in the US.President Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office ordering the changes to "honor American greatness."Users will see their local official name when it varies between countries; the rest of the world sees both names.Google Maps has updated the name for the Gulf of Mexico for US-based users following an executive order President Donald Trump issuedAs of Monday night, when users in the US search for "Gulf of Mexico" in Google Maps, they are presented with a result for "Gulf of America."For people outside the US, the result populates as "Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)."The president signed an executive order on his first day in office to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and to change the name of the highest mountain peak in North America from Denali to Mount McKinley. As of press time, the name "Denali" has not yet been changed on Google Maps.The change in Google Maps was expected. Google said earlier that it had "a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources."The company said it would update Maps in the US after the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) made the changes. The GNIS, a database of more than 2 million physical and cultural features throughout the US and its territories, standardizes geographic names for federal use.Trump's executive order gave the Secretary of the Interior 30 days to implement the name changes and update the GNIS to reflect them.Former President Barack Obama changed the name of the mountain peak from Mount McKinley to Denali in 2015 in honor of local Native groups' names for the Alaska mountain.Under Trump's order, the surrounding national park area will keep the name Denali National Park and Preserve, and the Secretary of the Interior "shall work with Alaska Native entities and state and local organizations to adopt names for landmarks to honor the history and culture of the Alaskan people."The renaming at the federal level has been a complex undertaking for government agencies and offices.Historically, the Board on Geographic Names and the US Geological Survey would act immediately to update the GNIS. The Department of State would update the Geographic Names Server, which defines geographic feature names outside the US. However, it's up to each agency and office to update their own websites accordingly.Outside the US, other countries may not recognize the name changes.Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said in January that "for us and for the whole world, it is still the Gulf of Mexico."Google previously said that when official names vary between countries, Maps users will see the official name used in their country, while the rest of the world will see both names. The company said this was also consistent with long-standing policy.Google did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.