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close video Betting against Elon Musk is like betting against Steve Jobs: Keith Fitz-Gerald

JPMorgan global market strategist Jack Manley and The Fitz-Gerald Group principal Keith Fitz-Gerald discuss Tesla’s investor day and if now is the time for investors to get off the sidelines on ‘The Claman Countdown.’

Billionaire Elon Musk slammed Meta's WhatsApp Messenger on Tuesday, saying the messenger "cannot be trusted." 

The Twitter chief was responding to a Saturday tweet from the social media company's director of engineering Foad Dabiri.

"WhatsApp has been using the microphone in the background, while I was asleep and since I woke up at 6 a.m. (and that's just a part of the timeline!) What's going on?" Dabiri tweeted, later noting for one user that he has a Google Pixel 7 Pro.

Musk initially replied that it was "weird," but retweeted the post two days later. 

ELON MUSK MOCKS VICE PRESIDENT'S AI ROLE: 'MAYBE SOMEONE WHO CAN FIX THEIR OWN WIFI ROUTER'

Tesla CEO Elon Musk departs court in San Francisco on Jan. 24, 2023. (Marlena Sloss/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

"WhatsApp cannot be trusted," he said in a quote tweet.

WhatsApp did not respond to Musk directly, but did reply to Dabiri on Twitter. Meta pointed FOX Business to a series of tweets. 

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"Over the last 24 hours we’ve been in touch with a Twitter engineer who posted an issue with his Pixel phone and WhatsApp. We believe this is a bug on Android that mis-attributes information in their Privacy Dashboard and have asked Google to investigate and remediate," it said. 

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Signage outside Meta headquarters in Menlo Park, California, on April 20, 2023. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

"Users have full control over their mic settings. Once granted permission, WhatsApp only accesses the mic when a user is making a call or recording a voice note or video – and even then, these communications are protected by end-to-end encryption so WhatsApp cannot hear them," WhatsApp added. 

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Meta also pointed to a tweet from WABetaInfo, an account that provides news and real-time updates about WhatsApp. 

WABetaInfo said it had previously reported that "this is a false positive from the OS, and some users told it happened after a certain patch – some other apps may experience the same issue."

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Tesla investors want Elon Musk to answer questions about ‘salute,’ role in Trump White House

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Tesla investors want Elon Musk to answer questions about 'salute,' role in Trump White House

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump greets Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk during a rally the day before Trump is scheduled to be inaugurated for a second term, in Washington, U.S., January 19, 2025. 

Brian Snyder | Reuters

Tesla’s fourth-quarter earnings report lands just over a week after President Donald Trump began his second term in the White House, with Elon Musk right by his side.

Now that the Tesla CEO is firmly planted in Washington, D.C., in a high-profile advisory role, shareholders in the electric vehicle maker have some questions.

On the forum Tesla uses to solicit investor inquiries in advance of its earnings calls, more than 100 poured in from shareholders about Musk’s politics, including his official role at Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and his endorsement of far-right candidates.

“How much time does Elon Musk devote to growing Tesla, solving product issues, and driving shareholder value vs. his public engagements with Trump, DOGE, and political activities?” one retail investor asked, adding, “Do you believe he’s providing Tesla the focus it needs?”

In addition to contributing $270 million to help Trump and other Republican candidates and causes, Musk spent weeks on the campaign trail during the fourth quarter working to propel Trump back into the White House. After Trump’s election victory, Musk then spent considerable time far away from Tesla’s factory floor at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

One of the top-voted questions about Musk asked how much time he intends to spend “at the White House and on government activities vs time and effort dedicated to Tesla.”

Musk and Tesla didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Elon Musk's America PAC sees mixed election results

Musk has also involved himself in German politics, giving a full-throated endorsement of the country’s far-right, anti-immigrant party AfD (Alternative für Deutschland) in December ahead of the February election.

According to research and consulting firm Brand Finance, the value of Tesla’s brand fell by 26% last year, with factors including Musk’s “antagonism,” Tesla’s aging lineup of EVs and more. The researchers found that fewer consumers would recommend or consider buying a Tesla now than in previous years.

During public remarks following last week’s inauguration, Musk repeatedly used a gesture that was viewed by many historians and politicians as a Nazi salute. Ruth Ben-Ghiat, whose scholarship has focused on fascism, described it as “a Nazi salute and a very belligerent one,” while neo-Nazis praised Musk for his antics.

A shareholder on Say asked, “Will you apologize for the misunderstanding that occurred when you made the hand gesture thanking folks for their support. It would go a long way with your investors and the American public at large. Thanking you in advance Elon!”

In response to the criticism, Musk said anyone calling the salute a hateful gesture was pushing a “hoax.” But after that, he engaged in Nazi-themed word play on X, prompting the Anti-Defamation League to rebuke him, writing it is “inappropriate and offensive to make light” of the “singularly evil” Holocaust. And Musk later appeared via video at a rally for the AfD in Halle, Germany.

Some investors asked whether Tesla had “sales lost due to political activities of Elon,” how the company plans “to respond to Musk’s now infamous Nazi salute,” and how Tesla “is addressing the negative impacts of Elon’s public views and activities.”

But Tesla is under no obligation to bring any of these topics up on the earnings call. Ahead of the third-quarter call in October, investors had a lot of questions and concerns about similar issues regarding Musk’s involvement in politics, though that was before Trump’s election victory.

Trump was never mentioned on that call.

WATCH: Here’s why Bank of America downgraded Tesla

Tesla: Here's why Bank of America downgraded the stock to neutral

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Elon can’t get it up (past 325 kW), BP can, and GM hopes to keep it up in 2025

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Elon can't get it up (past 325 kW), BP can, and GM hopes to keep it up in 2025

Despite mocking 350 kW as “a child’s toy” in 2016, the company is just rolling out 325 kW V4 chargers in 2025. Meanwhile companies like BP are celebrating 400 kW installations along major highways – and they’re making money doing it. All this and more on today’s thrilling January 47th episode of Quick Charge!

We’ve also got a blast from the past in the form of one of my first Electrek article from way back in 2022, GM’s performance making TSLA look like a meme stock, and a massive lithium project in the Heartland.

Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple PodcastsSpotifyTuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded, usually, Monday through Thursday (and sometimes Sunday). We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage daily news.

Got news? Let us know!
Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.

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Many feared dead after stampede at Maha Kumbh Hindu festival in northern India

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Many feared dead after stampede at Maha Kumbh Hindu festival in northern India

Many people are feared dead and dozens have been injured in a stampede at a Hindu festival in northern India.

Images from the scene in the city of Prayagraj, in Uttar Pradesh state, show bodies being stretchered away and rescuers helping those who were hurt.

Millions of people were attempting to take a holy bath in the river at the massive Maha Kumbh festival when there was an initial stampede at 1am local time (1930 UK time).

still from APTN direct showing rescue teams after a stampede at Maha Kumbh Mela festival in India Credit APTN
Image:
Ambulance crews have been taking the injured to hospital. Pic: APTN

Authorities said people trying to escape it were then caught in a second – and more serious – stampede at an exit.

Devotees had congregated to bathe at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers.

still from APTN direct showing rescue teams after a stampede at Maha Kumbh Mela festival in India Credit APTN
Image:
A Rapid Action Force unit, a special team deployed during crisis situations, has been sent to the scene. Pic: APTN

A Rapid Action Force unit, a special team deployed during crisis situations, has been sent to the scene.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to the chief minister for Uttar Pradesh state, Yogi Adityanath, calling for “immediate support measures”, according to the ANI news agency.

map showing location of stampede at massive Maha Kumbh festival in India

Authorities had expected a record 100 million people to visit Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh – “festival of the Sacred Pitcher” – on Wednesday for the holy dip.

It is regarded as a significant day for Hindus, due to a rare alignment of celestial bodies after 144 years.

Before stampede - devotees gather early in the morning during the "Maha Kumbh Mela", or the Great Pitcher Festival, in Prayagraj, India, January 28, 2025. REUTERS/Sharafat Ali
Image:
Huge crowds gathered on Tuesday at the Hindu festival, the world’s largest religious gathering. Pic: Reuters


The Maha Kumbh festival, which is held every 12 years, started on 13 January and is the world’s largest religious gathering.

Organisers had forecast that more than 400 million people would attend the pilgrimage site over the next six weeks.

Indian Hindu devotees arrive for a holy dip at Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers, on the eve of the 'Mauni Amavasya' or new moon day during the Maha Kumbh festival, in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Image:
Hindu devotees arriving for a holy dip on Tuesday. Pic: AP

Authorities have built a sprawling tent city on the riverbanks, equipped with 3,000 kitchens and 150,000 toilets and 11 hospitals.

Stampedes are relatively common around Indian religious festivals, where large crowds can gather in small areas.

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