Heyaa!

Here’s another Tech Creator edition fresher than your hot pancakes. Elon Musk is pretty pissed and we are back with the story as promised yesterday.

Let the fun begin…

Musk’s love-hate relationship with Delaware

Did you know? Delaware is otherwise a very hospitable, low-tax home for many corporations. It’s also home to Tesla… But Musk looks done with the place. 

The Tesla CEO has changed the incorporation of his brain chip firm Neuralink from Delaware to Nevada. He previously also moved X incorporation from Delaware to Nevada. 

The story goes back to 2018…

Back then, the Tesla board granted Musk a $55.8 billion compensation package. This same compensation package helped Musk become the world’s richest man. 

But bad luck struck…

Richard Tornetta, a Tesla investor with just 9 shares, filed a lawsuit against Musk. The presiding judge found Musk’s compensation plan deeply flawed and that the nine-person approval board lacked any independent directors. 

The judge nullified the payout in the January 31 ruling. Though Musk can appeal the decision, Musk’s ambitions and a $205 billion fortune looks lost. If Musk were to fail the appeal, he would lose roughly 303 million Tesla shares. He would be left with just a 13% stake in Tesla. 

Musk needs atleast a 25% share of the company to be able to influence decision-making. He said in an X post,” I am uncomfortable growing Tesla to be a leader in AI & robotics without having ~25% voting control. Enough to be influential, but not so much that I can’t be overturned.”

What’s more?

• He prefers to build products outside of Tesla if he loses his stake.  

• Musk also claimed in a hearing that he intends to create a multiplanetary species with SpaceX using his pay package. 

• Musk has already taken out stock margin loans, and his ability to fund X endeavors might be in distress.  

PS: He even intends to reincorporate Tesla again, moving the company out of Delaware, probably to Texas. 

Beyond all the antics and shenanigans at play, read in this article why the chip wars are heating up and why the US is funding $5B in lagging semiconductor innovation.  

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Playstation’s rival, Xbox’s business is getting bigger? 

Microsoft is aiming to pump up Xbox sales via its Xbox-exclusive games. These games will rival the already popular console games. Microsoft will launch several Xbox games on PS5 and Nintendo Switch. Starfield and Indiana Jones. 

For context, Microsoft’s Xbox Series S and X sales lag behind Sony’s PlayStation 5.  

2022 brought a dry spell for Xbox games, especially after a delay in its Bethesda game Starfield launch. 

The strategy of multiplatform game launches will be a huge shift for Microsoft. The shift will give Microsoft the much-needed reach for its first-party games. Though the opportunity is revenue-generating, it is not without its set of risks. 

It is worth noting here that Microsoft is a much leaner player in the gaming business, its gaming business revenue having just surpassed Windows. The $68.7 billion acquisition of Blizzard is behind this achievement. Already, Call of Duty is a big multiplatform game that drives maximum revenue on its platform. 

Will Microsoft achieve the mighty goal of 100 million Xbox Game Pass subscribers by 2030? 

The delay in game launches paints a different picture. Microsoft last declared its subscriber base at 25 million in 2022. 

Analysts predict 33 million subscribers in 2023, that’s a 33% growth rate in 2 years. The company has been looking at other avenues for growth. A new Xbox mobile gaming store might be in the pipeline this year. 

9 US states are pushing for climate-friendly heat pumps

Heat pumps are outselling gas furnaces in the US, and they are eco-friendly. Nine US States have formed a coalition and signed an agreement for the gas-to-electric transition by making heat pumps more economical. Let’s find out more about this little invention. 

The nine states signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding), which says that at least 65% of residential heating, air conditioning, and water heating shipments should be based on heat pumps by 2030.  

By 2040 these states aim for a 90% share of heat pumps in heating shipments or ‘systems manufactured.’ 

These states are:

• California

• Colorado

• Maine

• Maryland

• Massachusetts

• New Jersey

• New York

• Oregon

• Rhode Island

What’s Interesting About Heat Pumps?

A heat pump doesn’t burn non-renewables and is much more efficient than a furnace. Instead, it warms a building by moving heat from the outside air into the interior. It runs in the opposite direction to cool a building. The pump can also run on renewables like wind and solar. 

Heat pumps can save an American household over $550 a year. The states’ commitment to transition from zero-emission residential buildings is truly appreciable. Read the full story here. 

Who else is making headlines?

• Apple’s Vision Pro’s resale value is $5,000: The exclusive and elusive headset from Apple, Vision Pro, has been launched in the US markets. But the world around seems more excited. The resale value of the $3,500 headset is anywhere between $4,500 to $6,300 in overseas markets. 

• Just one Tesla sold in South Korea in January: Tesla’s Model Y SUV saw its worst month in January since July 2022 (0 models sold). Tesla could sell only one electric car due to concerns about safety and price and lack of charging infrastructure weighing on demand. 

• NASA’s new spacesuits pass microgravity test: Collins Aerospace’s spacesuit design will make it possible for astronauts to move around with it in zero gravity. The spacesuit design has passed the microgravity test, an important milestone toward critical design review.  The private company is hired to create spacesuits for the International Space Station (ISS).

How does a solar eclipse on Mars look like? 🌤️

An eerie yet picturesque view of the solar eclipse on Mars captured by NASA's Mars Perseverance. The picture has the larger of Mars’ two moons, Phobos, passing in front of the Sun. 

Wait! Did you also hear about these?👂👂👂

• Slack AI: Trusted AI, directly where you're already working. Search smarter, summarise conversations instantly and be at your most productive. Learn more!^*

• How Chinese EVs are being sold unofficially in other countries thanks to a loophole

• Azure accounts of hundreds of Microsoft employees and senior employees are getting compromised under a targeted campaign

• The US government has made a $42 million bet on open cell networks.

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That’s a wrap. See you next week!