Hyundai is initiating mobile clinics in select US cities to address theft concerns by offering software upgrades. This move comes after the rise in theft of specific Hyundai models due to a missing engine immobilizer feature. This detail became widely known on social media platforms like TikTok. While the number of cities is limited, many vehicles need to be patched. An extensive list of vehicles is listed below.

The automaker listed the affected vehicles as the 2018-2022 Accent, the 2011-2022 Elantra, the 2013-2020 Elantra GT, the 2013-2014 Genesis Coupe, the 2018-2022 Kona, the 2020-2021 Palisade, the 2013-2022 Santa Fe, the 2013-2018 Santa Fe Sport, the 2019 Santa Fe XL, the 2011-2019 Sonata, the 2011-2022 Tucson, the 2012-2017 and 2019-2021 Veloster, and the 2020-2021 Venue.

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Show Notes:

• Tesla and BP
  
• A robot dog into a walking tour guide
  
• Amazon workers are in a warehouse of pain
  
• Pro-Palestine protests on Roblox
  
• VP at AI Summit
  
• Huawei China Q3
  
• Banks who loaned Elon Musk money to buy Twitter is going to lose money
  
• Google is building a subsea cable
  
• The Online Safety Bill
  
• Amazon’s new AI image generator
  
• Ticketmaster still hiding ticket fees
  
• JPM Coin
  
• WTO and tech regulation
  
• Google Maps
  
• Uber offering rides in self-driving Waymo cars
  
• Spacewalk turns into space work
  
• Ford is testing drone deliveries 
  
• European government emails are hacked
  
• Meta
  
• 07:21–Apple’s ‘Scary Fast’
  
• Hyundai to hold software-upgrade clinics
  

Today’s podcast covered a wide range of tech and business news. I’ll break down some of the key stories that caught my interest.

First, Tesla made its first big deal to sell its supercharger tech to another company. It sold $100 million worth of charging equipment to BP’s new EV subsidiary. This will allow BP to open its own network of Tesla supercharger stations. A smart move by both companies to expand the EV charging infrastructure.

On a lighter note, the Boston Dynamics robot dog Spot was upgraded to act as a walking tour guide. Using ChatGPT, it can now respond to questions and provide information to visitors with a charming British butler voice. While talking robots still weird me out, it’s an impressive demonstration of AI conversation skills.

Shifting gears, a new independent report exposed issues around injuries and unpaid time off for Amazon warehouse workers. Contradicting Amazon’s data, it found high rates of injuries and exhaustion leading to absences. As an avid Amazon customer, I worry that workers may face harsh conditions behind the scenes. I’d like to see the company take action to improve conditions.

Among the other stories, Google is building a massive undersea internet cable to Australia, Uber will start offering rides in fully autonomous Waymo cars, and the controversial online safety laws in the UK are now in effect. The one that surprised me most was that kids attend virtual pro-Palestinian protests on Roblox, highlighting how even gaming platforms can reflect real-world issues.

In political news, Vice President Harris is heading to the UK next week for an artificial intelligence summit. The administration wants to convey its stance on regulating AI thoughtfully but without stifling innovation. I’m curious to see if concrete policies come out of this summit. AI is spreading so rapidly we need governments to collaborate.

The podcast covered some exciting stats – like JPMorgan processes a mind-boggling $10 trillion transaction daily. It’s hard to fathom such a huge number! More surprisingly, its JPM Coin cryptocurrency handles $1 billion in daily transactions. That’s still a tiny fraction of overall transactions but shows growing adoption.

However, Tesla fans may be disappointed that banks who loaned Elon Musk money to acquire Twitter are now bracing for around $2 billion losses. The chaos around Twitter isn’t helping faith in Musk. I wouldn’t want to have been one of those creditors, though the banks will likely absorb the hit comfortably.

In China news, Huawei’s smartphone sales surged in Q3 while Apple declined in the region. Unsurprisingly, the US crackdown on Huawei has pushed Chinese consumers to favor domestic brands. But Apple still has massive dominance globally. This quarterly ebb and flow hasn’t worried me for a long time.

On the cybersecurity front, European governments were targeted by a Russian hacking campaign that compromised email systems. It just underscores how rampant state-sponsored hacking has become. No matter how strong the defenses are, governments must vigilantly guard against threats from places like Russia and China.

Based on some of the news, the online world felt like the Wild West this week. The controversial UK Online Safety Bill finally passed, requiring tech companies to remove harmful content like hate speech and disinformation. I support the intent but worry it could lead to over-censorship. The government needs to tread carefully.

Meanwhile, the EU dropped its demands for free data flows in trade deals, which digital rights groups said was a win against potential surveillance. But American lawmakers blast it as a gift to China’s restrictive internet model. As with most things, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Thoughtful tech regulation remains tricky.

Ticketing giant Ticketmaster is still taking heat for hidden junk fees despite pledges of transparency. As a frequent concert-goer, few things annoy me more than bogus fees added at checkout. Ticketmaster dominates the industry, so it needs oversight to ensure fair pricing. I won’t hold my breath for changes, though.

One bit of uplifting news – Google Maps is getting some nice upgrades thanks to AI. The new features will make searching for nearby places and recommendations much smoother. As a directionally-challenged person, I rely on Maps so I am happy to see Google continue improving it rather than resting on its laurels.

Space got a bit more exciting, too. Two Russian cosmonauts had to improvise while fixing an ISS leak, using towels to mop up coolant. It makes me feel better knowing that even highly trained astronauts have to improvise sometimes! Space travel always carries unknowns.

In transportation news, Ford is testing drone deliveries in Detroit as part of an effort to build an “Advanced Aerial Innovation” zone in the city. Drones zipping around dense urban areas still make me nervous, but the tech is advancing rapidly. Ford knows the future is autonomous. I hope they work closely with the FAA to ensure safety remains the top priority.

Speaking of self-driving vehicles, Uber is now offering rides in autonomous Waymo cars in Phoenix! As an impatient rider, the idea of driverless Uber excites me, but I’d worry about technical glitches. The 24/7 helpline for confused passengers sounds reassuring. If Uber scales it up, this could be the early stages of a driverless rideshare revolution.

Meta shared an astounding stat that Facebook users exchange 600 million daily messages with companies. That’s wild! Addicted as people are to social media, I wouldn’t have guessed usage was THAT high. It shows these apps are woven into our lives, for better or worse.

Finally, even e-commerce giant Amazon wasn’t immune from economic headwinds. Their cloud revenue fell slightly short of projections, sending the stock down. But its core retail sales still did great, powered by Prime and all the services that come with it. Amazon’s sheer dominance continues to blow me away.

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