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The Biden administration is out with a new memo that anticipates getting to 40% solar energy in the US by 2035. That might not be in time to settle out this whole thing about catastrophic climate change, but it should put the nation on track to meet the President’s ambitious goal for decarbonizing the nation’s power generation profile. Of course, the devil is in the details, and the big question is whether or not certain elected officials will get with the planet-saving program.

Getting To 40% Solar Energy By 2035

The new memo comes from the US Department of Energy under the title, “Investing in a Clean Energy Future: Solar Energy Research, Deployment, and Workforce Priorities,” which hints at the problem. The impacts of catastrophic climate change are already nipping at the heels of the Earth, and it will take a swift, massive redirection of economic assets to turn the ship around.

The memo cautions that keeping the nation’s existing fleet of nuclear power plants afloat is a key piece of the puzzle, alongside wind power, carbon capture, and something called “clean” hydrogen, which is not necessarily the same as green hydrogen (more on that in a sec).

However, the memo underscores the critical importance of the solar energy factor.

“Solar is the fastest-growing source of new electricity generation in the nation – growing 4,000 percent over the past decade – and will play an important role in reaching the administration’s goals,” the Energy Department enthuses.

“Large-scale decarbonization of the electricity sector could move solar from 3 percent of generation today to over 40 percent by 2035,” they add.

And now, for the bad news. The Energy Department cites a yet-to-be published analysis by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which calculates that “solar deployment would need to accelerate to three to four times faster than its current rate by 2030,” if the power sector is to be decarbonized by 2035.

“Meeting these goals will require billions in investment and market opportunities through 2050 across clean energy generation, energy storage, electricity delivery, and operations and maintenance – including in low-income and community solar,” the Energy Department explains.

If you caught that thing about “market opportunities,” that’s where state and federal legislation comes into play. Right now the US is a patchwork of solar-loving and solar un-loving jurisdictions. That will have to change if a swift energy transition is to be orchestrated.

Why 40% Solar Energy By 2035 Is Possible

Despite the challenges, the clean power transition is already inevitable. The massive drought in the western US has exposed the shortcomings of over-reliance on power generation technology that relies on water, including hydropower as well as coal, gas, and nuclear energy. The US grid needs to diversify as well as decarbonize while keeping a close eye on the energy-water nexus.

Solar energy is not necessarily a water-free technology, partly due to the need for keeping solar panels free of dust and debris. However, low-water and waterless cleaning technologies are already at hand.

The Energy Department also cites resiliency as a key factor favoring solar power:

“Solar deployed at scale, when combined with energy storage, can make America’s energy supply more resilient, particularly from power disruptions in the event of manmade and natural threats.  Smaller-scale solar, as part of microgrids or hybrid plants, can drive greater local self-sufficiency and  community-level resilience. Solar with storage solutions can already provide hours of backup power for individual buildings and, in the future, could provide days of backup power and even seasonal stored power. This storage option can help manage the grid, prevent outages, and even restart the grid after a power outage.”

Potholes On The Road To 40%

As for the details, the road to 40% solar energy by 20305 is not going to be a smooth ride.

For example, the memo advocates for continuing to provide tax credits for clean power investment and production, pointing out that they “have been successful tools in helping to expand solar and wind energy generation” by cutting the cost of investing in clean power.

Unfortunately, the production tax credit is set to die at the end of this year, and the investment tax credit will follow it to the grave shortly thereafter unless certain members of Congress (you know who you are) get their act together.

The memo also brings up the need for new electricity transmission lines to transmit all that new solar energy, which is a super duper touchy subject. Anybody remember Clean Line Energy? The company’s ambitious plans for a new network of clean power lines in the US fell to pieces after a few years due to local opposition and state-based legislative roadblocks.

On the plus side, some of those pieces are still clinging to life. Other signs of new transmission line activity have been springing up in recent years, though some of that is occurring in Texas, which has already sunk its hooks deep into new clean power transmission lines.

The Energy Department memo advocates for tax incentives for transmission projects as well as energy storage, but those pesky opponents could halt or delay projects for years to come.

The Once & Future Energy King Is The US

The memo is on more solid ground in the area of innovation and manufacturing, pointing out that “the solar industry has its roots in America, and a key part of lowering the costs of solar involves investing in technology innovation, manufacturing, and the solar supply chain.”

“U.S. research and development has helped lower manufacturing costs, increase efficiency and performance, and improve reliability of solar technologies,” they add.

US innovators are still driving the global market, even though the nation lost its pole position in the solar manufacturing race long ago. According to the Energy Department, its funding stream has supported almost half of worldwide solar cell efficiency records over the past 35 years, in addition to playing a key role in the global concentrating solar power industry.

Not specifically mentioned in the memo is the agency’s long term love affair with perovskite solar cell technology, but it does reference the related field of thin film solar as a means of re-domesticating the solar cell industry, which is important because that would avoid overseas labor issues as well as supply chain issues.

More Solar Power For Everybody

The memo also points out that the solar market in the US is far from saturated. Aside from the potential for growth in the field of luxury and market-rate housing, there is a vast untapped reservoir of potential growth in the low- and moderate-income areas.

“Low- and moderate- income Americans are less likely to adopt solar due to issues like lack of access to financing, which perpetuates energy inequalities and leads to lower overall levels of solar deployment,” DOE explains, adding that “Access to credit is a key barrier to solar adoption for low- and moderate-income households; almost 90 percent of 2018 solar adopters have either prime or super-prime credit scores.”

Addressing the root causes of structural racism in the US would help solve some of that problem, but in the meantime the Energy Department has been doing some of the heavy lifting by promoting the community solar model.

Community solar projects are designed to provide all ratepayers with access to affordable solar power, regardless of whether or not they rent or own property, or what their tax status is (looking at you, non-profits), and if their property can support its own solar panels.

The Energy Department began a concerted effort to promote community solar during the Obama administration. So far the effort has survived the Trump administration and the COVID-19 pandemic, but most of the activity is currently centered in just four states.

On the plus side, the memo notes that some activity is beginning to bubble up in 35 other states and the District of Columbia, indicating the potential for a renewed push. The memo explains that “green banks and other financing mechanisms that invest in community solar can help families and businesses gain access to zero-carbon solar” would help things along, hinting that state and federal legislators still need to get on board with the plan.

What About Green Hydrogen & Solar Energy?

As for “clean” hydrogen, don’t be fooled. Hydrogen is ubiquitous throughout the industrial economy, from fuel to fertilizer, pharmaceuticals, and processed foods. The problem is that almost the entire global supply of hydrogen comes from fossil natural gas, along with a smattering of coal, and no matter which way you turn it, hydrogen is not going away anytime soon.

Fossil energy stakeholders have proposed slapping carbon capture systems onto hydrogen production and calling it “clean,” which would be super funny except when you’re staring into the void of a massive global catastrophe.

The alternative would be to extract hydrogen from other sources, and that is already beginning to happen. For example, interest is coalescing around the use of offshore wind farms to generate electricity for electrolysis systems, which extract hydrogen from water.

A similar feat can be accomplished with onshore wind farms or solar arrays. The missing piece is political will, but keep an eye on that newly recharged bipartisan energy storage caucus in Congress for some movement in that direction.

Follow me on Twitter: @TinaMCasey.

Image (screenshot): Solar energy memo via US Department of Energy.

 

 
 

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Rad Power gives RadRover 6 Plus e-bike an extra battery at $1,399, Exclusive renewed Anker SOLIX F3800 at $1,999, EcoFlow, more

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April 10, 2025

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Rad Power gives RadRover 6 Plus e-bike an extra battery at ,399, Exclusive renewed Anker SOLIX F3800 at ,999, EcoFlow, more

Headlining today’s Green Deals is Rad Power’s newly launched Earth Day Sale with up to $699 in savings on a solid lineup of e-bikes, including returning accessory bundles on its latest models. One notable – and popular – standout is the brand’s RadRover 6 Plus Step-Thru Fat Tire e-bike that comes along with an extra battery for double the travel time at $1,399. We’ve also secured an exclusive $680 off deal on the refurbished Anker SOLIX F3800 Portable Power Station that is down at $1,999. Lastly, we’ve got the latest flash offers from EcoFlow’s ongoing Easter Sale and Mega Sale for the rest of the day, which include a bundle for the DELTA 2 Portable Power Station with a waterproof bag for $449, as well as two DELTA Pro Ultra Extra Batteries down at $4,599. Plus, all the other hangover Green Deals are in the links at the bottom of the page, like yesterday’s new low price on the Heybike ALPHA e-bike, and more.

Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.

Rad Power is launching an Earth Day Sale through April 23 with up to $699 in savings on a selection of e-bikes, including the ongoing RadRunner lows we’ve been seeing repeat over the last few events since February. The headliner for this sale though is the popular bundle of the RadRover 6 Plus Step-Thru Fat Tire e-bike with an extra battery for $1,399 shipped. The e-bike on its own would normally cost you $1,599 without the $200 price cut here, only beaten out by the $1,299 rate from September and the $1,199 low we saw at the top of 2025, though these did not offer the extra battery valued at $499. Despite being the third-lowest price we have tracked overall, this is the largest amount of savings we have seen on this model bundled with the battery. Be sure to add both to your cart for the automatic discount to be applied.

I’ve been hopping aboard my parent’s RadRover 6 Plus e-bike during visits and it’s not hard to see why it’s so popular among riders with its durability and lineup of features, which can be elevated further with additional add-on gear, which my parents went all-out on. Without all those extra bells and whistles, it starts with a 750W brushless geared hub motor that is powered by the semi-integrated 672Wh battery to reach top speeds of 20 MPH while carrying you up to 45+ miles when its five levels of PAS are activated – which is doubled to 90+ miles with the extra battery. If you’re going a shorter distance and not in the mood to do any pedaling, there is the option to ride on pure electric power with the throttle, though keep in mind this cuts down its mileage.

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It’s a solid option for folks who enjoy on-street and off-road treks alike, as the fat Kenda Juggernaut puncture-resistant tires stand up well to swampy terrain during my visits while the electrical system is protected thanks to the water-resistant connectors. You’ll also get it arriving stocked with a Shimano 7-speed derailleur, hydraulic brakes, fenders above both tires, an LED headlight and taillight with brake lighting (and auto-on functions for both), and a LCD display.

Rad Power’s other Earth Day e-bike discounts:

Rad Power’s ongoing low prices (while supplies last):

Rad Power accessory bundles on newest e-bikes:

  • RadExpand 5 Plus Folding e-bike: $1,899
    • 20 MPH for up to 60+ miles
    • comes with any accessory under $200
    • discounts applied when added to cart
  • Radster Road Commuter e-bike: $2,199
    • 28 MPH for up to 65+ miles
    • comes with any accessory under $200
    • discounts applied when added to cart
  • Radster Trail Off-Road e-bike: $2,199
    • 28 MPH for up to 65+ miles
    • comes with any accessory under $200
    • discounts applied when added to cart
  • RadWagon 5 Cargo e-bike: $2,399
    • 28 MPH for up to 60+ miles
    • comes with any accessory under $200
    • discounts applied when added to cart
Anker SOLIX F3800 Portable Power Station

Score an exclusive $680 in savings on a refurbished and expandable Anker SOLIX F3800 power station at $1,999

We’ve secured an exclusive deal for our readers at Wellbots on a refurbished Anker SOLIX F3800 Portable Power Station for $1,999 shipped, after using the code 9TO5RB300 at checkout. This renewed unit is getting brought down from its $2,679 price tag to $2,299 with the initial discount, which drops even lower thanks to our exclusive $300 in additional savings. It’s a solid option for those who want to save a bit more, as a new model normally goes for $3,999 at full price and is currently discounted to $2,599 right now, giving you $600 more in savings ($680 in all) while providing you with the brand’s expandable setup that you can invest more into down the road.

Coming with a two-year warranty, this refurbished Anker SOLIX F3800 station is a well-rounded option to cover camping, tailgating, home backup emergencies, and more. It starts at a 3,840Wh LiFePO4 capacity that can be further scaled up to 26.9kWh with its appropriate expansion batteries. It boasts 15+ port options to cover a variety of needs – including RV and EV power too thanks to the included L14-30R and NEMA 14-50 ports – with a steady output of 6,000W that can surge up to 9,000W.

You can recharge its own battery through an AC wall outlet, or connect up to its maximum 2,400W of solar input, which can refill the battery to 80% in 1.5 hours with ideal conditions. This refurbished model comes rated for 3,000 life cycles when charging up to 80% of its battery, giving you over 8 years of a lifespan were you to do so every single day. With the addition of EcoFlow’s home backup kit this station can cover sectional support for your home’s circuit breaker, or you could expand that to whole-home coverage with connections to roof panels when utilizing the home power panel instead.

– Units are Grade A Refurbished by Anker (Like new condition)
– 2 year warranty applies
– 30 day return policy

EcoFlow DELTA 2 Portable Power Station

EcoFlow flash sale offers DELTA 2 1,024Wh LiFePO4 power station with waterproof bag at $449, more

Running through the rest of the day as part of its ongoing Easter Sale and Mega Sale, EcoFlow has launched the third round of flash sale deals, with the first being the DELTA 2 Portable Power Station bundled with a waterproof bag for $449 shipped. Normally going for $999 outside of these sales, we have seen this power station on its own as low as $399 once before today, but you’re now getting it at $449 with the waterproof bag included to deliver one of the best values we have ever tracked. You’ll also find it matching in price over at Amazon, as well.

Perfect for those upcoming outdoor adventures, the EcoFlow DELTA 2 is an expandable unit that starts with a 1,024Wh LiFePO4 capacity and can go as high as 3,074Wh with the addition of expansion batteries. Its 15 port options cover your devices and appliances with a steady output up to 1,800W, which can surge up to 2,200W with the built-in X-Boost tech that also reduces its recharging times. Within 50 minutes of plugging it into a wall outlet you can have it back to an 80% battery while a full battery takes a little longer at 80 minutes. There’s also the option to connect up to its maximum 500W solar input to take advantage of the sun’s rays to refill its battery in as little as three hours. It also comes rated for 3,000 life cycles up to 80% of its capacity, meaning you could recharge it every day to that amount for over eight years.

The second offer during this flash sale is perfect for those with an existing DELTA Pro Ultra power station and are looking to expand, as you can grab two DELTA Pro Ultra Extra Batteries for $4,599 shipped. Considering that they are currently discounted to $2,499 each right now (down from $3,299 each), you’ll be saving an additional $399 here with the sales pricing and $1,999 off their regular pricing. By adding them to your existing setup, you’ll tack on an additional 12.2kWh capacity for even longer backup power support.

Be sure to check out the full (and differing) lineup of deals from EcoFlow’s ongoing Easter Sale and Mega Sale that are taking up to 65% off power stations through April 14.

Best New Year EV deals!

Best new Green Deals landing this week

The savings this week are also continuing to a collection of other markdowns. To the same tune as the offers above, these all help you take a more energy-conscious approach to your routine. Winter means you can lock in even better off-season price cuts on electric tools for the lawn while saving on EVs and tons of other gear.

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Pennsylvania dairy farm powers its new electric tractor with biogas

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April 10, 2025

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Pennsylvania dairy farm powers its new electric tractor with biogas

Farm Generates Biogas to Power Volvo Electric Compact Loader

An 800-head dairy farm in central Pennsylvania is the first in the United States to create a truly circular energy cycle by using recovered biogas to generate the electricity needed to charge the electric wheel loader that pushes feed to its cattle.

Molly Pitcher Dairy in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, uses a Volvo L120 electric wheel loader to feed its 800 head of dairy cattle each daily — and they’re showing other corporate farms that it’s possible to be more productive and more sustainable.

They’re accomplishing this first by deploying quiet, zero-emissions equipment assets that are better for both the health and safety of the farm’s employees and cattle, and second by powering those assets with electricity generated by methane-rich biogas that would otherwise be burned off or vented into the atmosphere.

The dairy uses a 1.5-million-gallon “anerobic digester” to recycles solid and liquid waste generated by the farm’s hundreds of cows (read: poop), producing energy-rich biogas that is used to generate electricity. Molly Pitcher Dairy actually generates enough electricity to power the farm, charge its wheel loader, and have enough left over to sell electrons back to their local grid.

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As for the Volvo L120 Electric wheel loader itself, the machine offers a 6-ton lifting capacity and quiet, precise, vibration-free operation, making it a valuable asset on job sites from construction sites to ports and logistic centers, and on through to waste management and recycling.

Volvo’s L120 Electric delivers between 5-9 hours of continuous on a single charge, depending on the workload. While that’s enough for a typical shift, when the Volvo does need to power up, it can charge from 10-100% in one hour 40 minutes with a 180 kW DC fast charger, or overnight with the same standard L2 (220/240V) outlet that any proper farm already has a welder plugged into.

“This dairy runs 24/7, so the more electric that I can use, the better it is for us economically and for the environment. That is why I was interested in this new electric loader from Volvo,” says the farm’s owner, Keith Jones — but the most important customer feedback at Molly Pitcher Dairy came from the herd. Says Jones, “It took the cows a few passes with the loader to realize it was feeding time because they didn’t hear it driving down the barn aisles. It’s very quiet, and for the cows, that is very nice.”

Molly Pitcher Dairy is one of seven cattle farms across three states owned by the Jones brothers as part of a family business that also includes cattle harvesting and commercial trucking operations.

Electrek’s Take

We’ve written about the greenwashing of poop collecting before, but while experts on one end argue that the LCFS in particular awards credits to farmers at a much higher magnitude than the cost to operate and maintain a methane digester and experts on the other side argue that biomethane still creates burned emission the same way fossil fuels do, the fact remains that the carbon cost of burning biogas is net less than the conventional cost of burning fuel fossil fuels, if only because of the reduced carbon costs typically associated with their refining and transportation (the fact that the biowaste is generated regardless and otherwise wasted should also be considered, but needn’t be in order to realize an immediate “common sense” benefit here).

Don’t get me wrong, there are certainly better ways to power an EV — including wind and solar — but are there much better uses for hundreds of tons of cow poop? You guys are smart. Head down the comments and tell me what they are.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Volvo CE.

If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. 

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

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Cracks are forming in Elon Musk’s armor of lies

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April 10, 2025

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Cracks are forming in Elon Musk's armor of lies

Tesla OpenAi XAI Elon Musk crack in armor of lies

As Elon Musk moves to dismiss a lawsuit from Tesla shareholders claiming he failed his fiduciary duties, OpenAI is now suing Musk and exposing lies, which could help Tesla shareholders.

It looks like cracks are forming in Elon Musk’s armor of lies.

Last year, Tesla investors sued Musk for breach of fiduciary duty and resource tunneling over the founding of xAI, a private AI company under his control.

Musk had previously stated that Tesla would be a major player in AI and that AI products would be critical to Tesla’s future, but in early 2024, the CEO threatened not to build AI products at Tesla if he didn’t get more control over the company by getting more shares.

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He also redirected NVIDIA AI hardware acquired by Tesla to xAI and hired Tesla employees to work at xAI.

In short, Tesla shareholders argue that Musk is in breach of his fiduciary duties to shareholders by creating a private company that competes directly with Tesla. The lawsuit also cites similar issues with Musk’s acquisition of Twitter.

This week, Musk and Tesla board members, who are also defendants in the lawsuit for not stopping Musk, have filed to try to dismiss the lawsuit (via Bloomberg):

The shareholder suit by a group of pension funds and other investors “is long on hyperbole but woefully short on well-pled facts,” the board members said in a court filing Monday. “Yet they cannot escape the undeniable reality: Tesla has thrived under this board and CEO, delivering astronomical returns to stockholders while advancing its mission to create sustainable abundance for all.”

It will likely take a while before the lawsuit moves through the court, but in the meantime, Tesla shareholders have found a strong ally: OpenAI.

Musk has long been tormenting OpenAI with lawsuits. Tesla’s CEO co-founded OpenAI as a non-profit in 2015 to develop an artificial general intelligence that positively contributes to humanity.

In early 2018, Musk resigned from OpenAI, citing “conflicts of interest with Tesla.”

At that time, Tesla’s CEO started pushing the automaker increasingly toward self-driving, which he often described as “real-world AI,” and the automaker began to compete for AI talent with OpenAI.

While he was seemingly on good terms with OpenAI after his departure, a few years later, he started publicly criticizing the organization for moving to a limited for-profit model, which they argued was necessary due to the billions of dollars required to build the compute training hardware to have an impact in the AI sector.

Musk even sued the company over the move and repeatedly publicly mocked them.

It hasn’t been clear how serious the legal actions have been since Musk even claimed that he would drop the lawsuit if OpenAI changed its name:

OpenAI has been defending itself with the release of some emails that show Musk actually agreed for years that the organization needed to move to a for-profit model.

Now, OpenAI has countersued Musk and released more details that show Musk has been misleading the public for years.

It also explains his latest moves at Tesla and xAI.

Musk’s AI effort went from OpenAI to Tesla to xAI

All the documents released by OpenAI as part of the countersuit paint a much clearer picture of Musk’s involvement with AI and how it evolved over the years.

I’ll start with a clear timeline to make it easier to understand.

  • 2010s: Musk has long been fascinated with AI and emerged as one of the most prominent tech voices warning about its dangers.
  • 2015: Musk co-founds OpenAI as a non-profit to try to create a safe AGI.
  • 2017: Musk privately communicates to many people in OpenAI and the AI community that the company needs to switch to a for-profit model and raise billions to be successful due to the cost of AI hardware.
  • 2018: Musk attempted to get control of OpenAI and merge it with Tesla, but this was rejected by OpenAI’s board, which ultimately took investments from Microsoft to start its for-profit arm, as it gave the organization more independence.
  • 2018: Musk leaves OpenAI, citing a conflict of interest with Tesla.
  • 2018-2022: Musk positions Tesla as “the world’s leader in AI”, hires a ton of AI talent, and claims Tesla will “play an important role in AGI”.
  • 2022: Musk sells tens of billions of dollars worth of Tesla stocks, partly to buy an overpriced Twitter.
  • 2023: Shortly after the viral launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Musk creates a new private company, xAI, to develop AI products and compete with OpenAI.
  • 2024: A judge rescinds Musk’s $55 billion Tesla CEO compensation package, which would have increased his stake in Tesla back to where it was before he bought Twitter.
  • 2024: Musk threatens Tesla shareholders that he will not build AI products at Tesla unless he gets more control (aka more shares).
  • 2024: Musk hires Tesla employees for xAI and redirects shipments of AI training compute from Tesla to xAI.
  • 2024: Musk sues OpenAI to try to block its transition into a capped for-profit business.

OpenAI has all the receipts to prove this. I recommend reading all the emails because they give great insights into Musk’s persona and how he presents himself publicly versus what he says privately.

Here are some of the highlights to prove the timeline above:

Early on in the founding of OpenAI in 2015, it was proposed to be a non-profit linked to Y Combinator, Sam Altman’s company at the time, and Musk was already suggesting to make it a regular C corp:

OpenAI shared many internal emails and text messages between the teams, Musk, and Musk’s executive assistant/future baby mama, Shivon Zilis, discussing the need for much more capital, which will require a move to for-profit.

In 2017, as OpenAI was first configuring a potential for-profit arm, Musk tried to take control by asking for preferred shares and a supermajority:

Musk even filed for a new benefit corporation, a for-profit legal structure that aims to generate profits while positively impacting society and/or the environment.

Musk’s full-time money manager, Jared Birchall, is listed as the sole director of the new corporation.

OpenAI rejected Musk’s proposal as it would have given him complete control, but they insisted they still wanted to work with him.

In early 2018, Musk switched up his proposal to try to get OpenAI attached to Tesla:

This proposal also failed, as OpenAI felt this was also an attempt from Musk to gain complete control.

Musk then left OpenAI and focused his AI efforts on Tesla until he significantly reduced his stake in the company to buy Twitter on a whim.

Then, he founded xAI to become his main AI effort as a private company under his control while telling Tesla shareholders that the company was an “AI and robotics play.”

xAI recently absorbed X (Twitter), resulting in a $125 billion company based on Musk’s made-up valuation.

Electrek’s Take

This is extremely revealing. It clearly shows that Musk’s main goal is to have complete control over AI.

He tried to get control of OpenAI, but couldn’t make it work. He then tried to make it work with Tesla, but he screwed up by giving up some control (I’d argue he still has a firm hold on the public company) through the acquisition of Twitter.

He panicked after OpenAI launched ChatGPT and started xAI as a private company entirely under his control, devaluing Tesla in the process – hence the current shareholders’ lawsuit.

For years, Musk attacked OpenAI and lied to the public about disagreeing with the for-profit transition, when he was actually pushing for it since the very beginning. The only difference is that OpenAI was now a competitor to Tesla, and then xAI.

I want to be clear here. OpenAI is not completely clean, either. It obviously owes Musk something for the company’s original funding, but the emails also reveal that the organization tried to give him shares and pay him back, but Musk refused.

His refusal is likely linked to his believing that he could do more damage by suing OpenAI.

It looks like Musk believes that he is some sort of super genius who deserves to be the one in control of a potential future AGI, and he was willing to lie and cheat his way into making it happen.

Even if his intentions are good, that’s a scary thought.

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