TGIF. Let’s get caught up on today’s tech news, shall we?
1. Overwhelming support for fuel efficiency standards, Labor says
As reported by The Guardian, Australia Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen has said that plans to introduce fuel efficiency standards, that regulate how much vehicles in Australia pollute, have been overwhelmingly supported during the public consultation process. The government is now set to complete an impact analysis, and will release details of its model before the end of the year.
2. Musk isn’t happy with the Cybertruck
Staying on cars for a moment, and Elon Musk is apparently not very happy with the Cybertruck. As reported by Ars Technica, the CEO told employees that he was unhappy with the build quality of the upcoming truck, and in a company-wide email, Musk apparently called for LEGO-like precision. “Due to the nature of Cybertruck, which is made of bright metal with mostly straight edges, any dimensional variation shows up like a sore thumb,” Musk reportedly wrote in the email.
3. The U.S. government sues SpaceX for discrimination
As reported by Mashable, the U.S. Department of Justice is taking on SpaceX for allegedly discriminating against refugees and asylees between 2018 and 2022. According to the complaint, SpaceX claimed that ‘export control laws’ imposed restrictions against hiring refugees and asylees, but the claim is apparently untrue, as argued by the Department of Justice. “Through this lawsuit we will hold SpaceX accountable for its illegal employment practices and seek relief that allows asylees and refugees to fairly compete for job opportunities and contribute their talents to SpaceX’s workforce,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said.
4. Zoom boss reckons it’s hard to build trust over Zoom
Zoom’s CEO Eric Yuan doesn’t think the video calling platform is good for building trust, and isn’t too keen on keeping remote workers away from the office since the video calling platform is making them too friendly, according to leaked audio from a meeting first reported on by Insider. Despite being a hugely important platform during the height of the pandemic, Zoomies (the pet name for Zoom employees) are expected to stick to a hybrid schedule, split between remote and office time. Yuan is far from the first CEO to call for a return to office, but it’s just strange hearing it about Zoom, no?
5. Google promises to do better on its ads
Google is pinky-swearing it will be more transparent in the future about how and why you keep seeing the same ads that seem to know you much better than you know yourself, though only in the European Union. In a blog post, Google’s vice president of trust and safety Laurie Richardson said the company will be expanding its Ads Transparency Center “to meet specific DSA provisions.” Though the company did not say what kinds of changes would take place, the idea is it would need to give EU users a better idea of why they see targeted ads.
BONUS ITEM: Just a bit of giraffe cuteness to send you into the weekend.
Have a lovely weekend.