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close video Cathie Wood makes a prediction about Amazon’s future workforce

Ark Invest’s Cathie Wood predicts Amazon will have more robot employees than humans by 2030.

A town in Virginia voted to provide Amazon with a special use permit to build a data center despite protests from over 100 speakers, including actor Robert Duvall, at a town hall meeting on Tuesday. 

"As an actor, I have the privilege to play many roles. My work has taken me all over the world, but I have always returned to Fauquier County, Virginia, with a sense of relief that comes from my appreciation for all that makes this place special," Duvall said. "The remarkable outpouring of opposition to this proposal indicates that the vast majority of the town and county believe this is a bad use of this site."

Robert Duvall during an interview for the June 24, 2021 show for the “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert. Image is a screen grab. (CBS via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Duvall, noting that he has lived on a farm in Virginia for 27 years, called the state "the last station before heaven" and demanded the town "keep it that way." The crowd gave him a standing ovation as he returned to his seat.

Amazon wants to build a 220,000-square-foot data center in Warrenton, and town councilmember Henry Herouix stressed the company has not asked for any tax breaks.

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Amazon projects that about 50 workers will be employed at the data center, and supporters said the data center will generate about $900,000 in tax revenue for the town annually. Ticker Security Last Change Change % AMZN AMAZON.COM INC. 97.20 -0.95 -0.97%

Herouix argued the tax revenue could go toward the county and schools. The permit for Amazon’s construction would include noise restrictions, bans on construction of an electric substation on the site and the requirement that any distribution lines go underground.

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Debate over the data center lasted some eight hours, but 92-year-old Duvall’s impassioned speech, along with the protests of roughly one hundred other speakers, seemed to make little impact as Warrenton’s town council voted 4-3 on Wednesday to approve a special permit for Amazon. 

The groups Protect Fauquier, Citizens for Fauquier County and the Piedmont Environmental Council organized an Oct. 26, 2022 town hall meeting in Warrenton, Virginia to explain to residents why they are opposed to a plan from Amazon Web Services to bu (Teo Armus/The Washington Post via Getty Images / Getty Images)

The northern Virginia region is home to the greatest concentration of data centers, 275 in total, which support modern internet use.

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But the continued expansion of data centers has faced pushback as residents complain about the noise, the increased resource use to power the stations, and the increasing wires and other infrastructure that appear across the towns. 

Kevin Ramundo with Citizens for Fauquier County and Cindy Burbank with Protect Fauquier walk on Main Street on February 10, 2023 in Warrenton, Virginia. Both are opposed to Amazons plan to build a data center in the area. (Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Councilmember David McGuire acknowledged that the decision was a "pivotal moment" for the town, which would "never be the same as we know it, whether that’s good or bad," WUSA 9 reported. 

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Amazon has committed to invest roughly $35 billion by 2040 to build more data centers across Virginia. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Porsche’s EV sales took a hit last year, but the electric Macan sparks hope

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Porsche's EV sales took a hit last year, but the electric Macan sparks hope

Although sales of Porsche’s first EV, the Taycan, fell nearly 50% in 2024, things could be looking up for the sports car maker. After its “launch literally electrified us,” the electric Porsche Macan may spark a comeback this year.

Why did Porsche’s EV sales drop in 2024?

Porsche delivered over 310,700 vehicles globally last year, or about 9,500 less than in 2023. Sales in China led the downfall, plunging 28% from the prior year amid a wave of low-cost domestic EVs entering the market.

In total, Porsche delivered 20,836 Taycan EVs to customers last year, down 49% from 2023. The lower total comes after launching the upgraded 2025 Taycan last year. Porsche also said, “The ramp-up of electric mobility is generally proceeding more slowly than planned” as part of the reason.

In its largest sales market, North America, Porsche delivered over 86,500 vehicles in 2024. Although that’s up a mere 1% from 2023, Porsche’s EV sales also took a hit.

Porsche sold 4,747 Taycan models in the US last year, 37% fewer than in 2023. The 2025 model began arriving at US dealerships last Summer, which helped push sales up nearly 75% in the fourth quarter to 2,358.

Porsche's-EV-sales-2024
2025 Porsche Taycan (Source: Porsche)

Meanwhile, Porsche’s second EV, the electric Macan, could have an even bigger impact. After delivering the first models at the end of September, Porsche delivered 18,278 electric Macans by the end of 2024.’

“This launch literally electrified us. I am therefore particularly pleased that more than 18,000 examples of the all-electric variant have already been delivered,” Porsche AG board member for sales and marketing, Detlev von Platen, said.

Porsche's-EV-sales-2024
Porsche Macan Electric (Source: Porsche)

Porsche sold 2,771 electric Macan SUVs in the US last year. On a call with reporters (via Automotive News), the company’s North American CEO, Timo Resch, said, “A lot of the consumers that come into the Macan Electric are [new to the] brand.”

Electrek’s Take

I’m not here to say the electric Macan will be Porsche’s savior, but the strong sales start is promising. Porsche has already backtracked on plans for 80% of deliveries to be electric by 2030.

According to recent reports, the electric Cayenne, due out in 2026, could be delayed depending on market demand. The upcoming 718 Cayman and Boxster EVs could also face delays as Porsche plans to keep gas and hybrid models alive longer than expected.

Looking ahead, Porsche also plans to introduce an ultra-luxury electric SUV to sit above the Cayenne, codenamed “K1” internally. It’s expected to compete with Range Rover and Ferrari’s first electric SUVs.

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US government says funds from 2016 hack should return to Bitfinex

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US government says funds from 2016 hack should return to Bitfinex

Due to a prior reimbursement plan from Bitfinex, many victims of the 2016 hack do not legally qualify as victims eligible for reimbursement.

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Elon Musk complains Tesla is not getting subsidies for electric truck chargers while calling for end of EV subsidies

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Elon Musk complains Tesla is not getting subsidies for electric truck chargers while calling for end of EV subsidies

Elon Musk complains that Tesla is not getting subsidies for its electric truck chargers while calling for the end of electric vehicle subsidies in the US.

Earlier this week, the Biden administration released the last round of funding for electric vehicle charging stations before the President leaves office.

Tesla has been trying to secure part of that funding for its TESSERACT project, which was first announced in 2023 to create a corridor of 9 charging stations for electric trucks between California and Texas.

However, it wasn’t included in any round of funding, including the latest one announced this week, which should be the latest now that Trump is getting into office and campaigned on ending electric vehicle subsidies.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk contributed more than $240 million to get Trump elected and supported his goal of removing subsidies for electric vehicles.

That’s why it’s surprising to see Musk comment on the news in disappointment. He wrote on X: “Hear we go again (sigh)”.

While this specific project wasn’t funded, 49 other projects shared over $600 million in funding that will deploy more than 11,500 EV charging ports across 27 states, four federally recognized tribes, and the District of Columbia.

Also, while Tesla didn’t get any funding in this round, Tesla has received millions in funding for its charging stations in the previous round.

Electrek’s Take

I think that’s fair. If you are actively lobbying for the end of EV subsidies in the US, a market that is far behind the rest of the world in EV adoption, why should the administration that is investing in correcting that give you the subsidies you are trying to end?

It makes no sense. That’s why I also support California in signaling that if the Federal government removes its EV subsidies, it will replace them at the state level, but Tesla will be left out.

It’s especially fair considering Elon has made it clear that the reason he wants to kill EV subsidies, which Tesla was the biggest beneficiary of, is that he believes it will put more pressure on the competition than Tesla and potentially kill them while only Tesla will remain.

He basically wants to pull the ladder that Tesla used to get where it is now to prevent others from using it.

“Subsidies for me, not for thee” – Elon’s new motto.

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