What Would an Apple Robot Look Like?

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What Would an Apple Robot Look Like?

Apple [AAPL] is considering moving into robotics, according to sources quoted by Bloomberg. The Cupertino company’s engineers have been exploring building a personal robot that would accompany users in their homes, and has reportedly also developed a tabletop device that moves around a display. The project is still in its infancy, and may never see a release. However, after shelving its electric vehicle (EV) project earlier this year, Apple might be feeling the pressure to develop new cutting-edge tech.

Tesla’s AI Brain Drain

Elon Musk has said that Tesla [TSLA] is to boost the salaries of artificial intelligence (AI) specialists, after his latest start-up, xAI, poached four engineers from his EV firm. The most recent was Ethan Knight, a member of the team working on computer vision for advanced driving systems, who jumped ship to xAI last month. Elsewhere in the Teslaverse, the firm will this month send a team to India to scout locations for a proposed $2–3bn EV plant, the Financial Times reported.

Google Mulls an AI Paywall

The Financial Times has reported that Google [GOOGL] is weighing whether to charge for new AI-powered premium features. This would mark the first time that the tech giant has put any of its core product behind a paywall. It is reportedly considering different options including integrating AI-based search functions within its subscription services. Engineers are developing the technology this would require, but have yet to be given the green light by management.

Flying Car Wars in the UAE?

Archer Aviation [ACHR] is moving to begin commercial operations in the UAE by the end of next year. CEO Adam Goldstein told Bloomberg that the company will fly its electrically powered air-taxi in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and that regulators had given it the green light to do so. Rival Joby [JOBY] has similarly said it plans to launch its eVTOL in Dubai, and that it has an agreement granting it exclusive rights to operate air taxis there for six years.

Lay-offs as Amazon Approaches Record

Amazon [AMZN] has cut several hundred roles in sales, marketing and tech at its cloud arm Amazon Web Services. “We’ve identified a few targeted areas of the organization we need to streamline,” an AWS spokesperson told Reuters. The e-commerce giant closed Wednesday trading at $184.29, just 0.9% shy of its record high, which it hit in July 2021. The stock began trading Thursday with a market cap over $1.9trn.