GOP Lawmakers In D.C. Poised To Vote On Waivers That Allow California To Set Own Emissions Standards

(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

US electric vehicle sales are expected to slide nearly 40% in Q4

This is weirdly good news for Tesla.

12/18/25 10:05AM

Last quarter, electric vehicles enjoyed record sales in the US as buyers rushed to get ahead of the end of the federal EV tax credit. Now comes the aftermath.

This quarter, electric vehicle sales are expected to plummet 37% in the US to 230,000, compared with 364,000 in Q4 2024, according to new estimates from Cox Automotive. In a strange turn of events, the decline might actually be good news for Tesla, the biggest EV maker in the US.

Analysts surveyed by FactSet currently expect Tesla deliveries in Q4 to decline 9.5% year over year to 449,000 — down substantially, but not by as much as EVs overall. That means Tesla is picking up EV market share. And as other traditional automakers dial back their EV programs in light of the EV drawdown, Tesla and other pure-play EV companies could continue to gain a bigger slice of a smaller pie.

The data also suggests good news for forthcoming Tesla competitor Slate Auto, which still expects to release an EV truck in the mid-$20,000s next year.

It appears the government’s $7,500 tax credit was integral for growing the EV market, because EVs just aren’t that affordable without the tax credit. There are currently only nine EV models that cost $40,000 or less, Cox reports, compared with 56 models with internal combustion engines under $40,000.

If Slate manages to retain its price target, consumers won’t need the credit to buy one.

Jon Keegan3/6/26

OpenAI reportedly delaying erotica feature to focus on “gains in intelligence”

OpenAI is delaying its planned “adult mode,” as it seeks to shore up ChatGPT’s core capabilities before the chatbot can generate erotic content.

A source within OpenAI told tech news site Sources that the company will miss its Q1 target for launching the feature:

“We’re pushing out the launch of adult mode so we can focus on work that is a higher priority for more users right now, including gains in intelligence, personality improvements, personalization, and making the experience more proactive.”

The company said it still believes in “treating adults like adults,” but said it wants to get the experience right. OpenAI has been testing user age estimation technology ahead of the planned release.

Liz Reid on where Google Search ends and Gemini begins

“We’re pushing out the launch of adult mode so we can focus on work that is a higher priority for more users right now, including gains in intelligence, personality improvements, personalization, and making the experience more proactive.”

Rani Molla

3/6/26

Why Apple is moving into the lower-cost smartphone and laptop markets

The luxury tech maker is heading down-market.

Man taking picture of Times Square using smart phone, personal perspective view

Ads have entered the chat

Advertisers are crowding into the next digital frontier.

Rani Molla3/6/26

Jon Keegan3/6/26

Anthropic will sue the Pentagon over supply chain risk designation, Amodei says

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said in a public post that the company will sue the Pentagon after receiving a letter from the Department of Defense officially designating Anthropic as “a supply chain risk to America’s national security.”

Amodei says that the effect of the unprecedented designation for an American company is more narrow than originally described, and that most of its customers would not be affected.

“With respect to our customers, it plainly applies only to the use of Claude by customers as a direct part of contracts with the Department of War, not all use of Claude by customers who have such contracts.”

Amodei says the company does not “believe this action is legally sound, and we see no choice but to challenge it in court.”

The CEO also apologized for statements he made in a leaked internal memo in which he claimed that the company was targeted because it didn’t show “dictator-style praise” for President Trump.

Where things stand with the Department of War

“With respect to our customers, it plainly applies only to the use of Claude by customers as a direct part of contracts with the Department of War, not all use of Claude by customers who have such contracts.”

Amodei says the company does not “believe this action is legally sound, and we see no choice but to challenge it in court.”

The CEO also apologized for statements he made in a leaked internal memo in which he claimed that the company was targeted because it didn’t show “dictator-style praise” for President Trump.

$40B💰

Rani Molla3/6/26

SoftBank is going to great lengths to double down on OpenAI — including taking on significant debt. After completing a $40 billion investment to become one of the ChatGPT maker’s largest backers, the Japanese conglomerate is now seeking a roughly $40 billion loan with a 12-month term, Bloomberg reports.

The financing would be SoftBank’s largest-ever dollar-denominated deal. The AI investment has helped lift profits, but it is also pressuring SoftBank’s credit profile.