SpaceX IPO faces new questions after Musk’s AI merger
Familiar territory as a cash-generating Musk company props up a riskier venture, with investors left to take it on faith
Elon Musk
Lupita Nyong’o, Odessa A’zion and the Norman Nobrains of racially controversial casting
Nobody wants casting directors to be administering DNA tests to establish the genetic suitability of auditioning actors
Holly Cairns urges Taoiseach not to ‘bow to bullies’ when visiting Trump in Oval Office
Social Democrats leader tells party conference that Government should put its plans to scrap the triple lock to a national vote
Russian general remains in coma after Moscow shooting
Vladimir Alexeyev provided Vladimir Putin with intelligence for full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022
Elon Musk met John Collison for a pint. Here’s what happened
The conversation is mainly about Musk but still relatively revealing about Collison’s worldview. These are my takeaways
Early Edition podcast: Cork landlord ‘traumatised’, Taoiseach bounces back and more weather warnings
Plus: French foreign ministry trolls Elon Musk and Ireland’s Six Nations campaign kicks off
French diplomats try out a new social media strategy: mock the trolls
Europe letter: French foreign ministry ‘ups the volume’ in new combative response to online attacks
Social media groups cannot catch all harmful posts, TikTok tells Oireachtas committee
X criticised by rival social media groups over snub to Oireachtas committee after controversy over Grok nudification feature
Musk calls Spanish PM a ‘tyrant and traitor’ over plan to ban under-16s from social media
Pedro Sánchez says too many children are exposed to ‘abuse, pornography, manipulation, violence’ online
French prosecutors raid Elon Musk’s X offices in Paris
Tech billionaire and platform’s former chief Linda Yaccarino summoned for ‘voluntary interviews’ in April
Spain to ban social media access for children under 16
Move follows Australia’s decision to introduce age-based restrictions over child safety concerns
Musk’s SpaceX acquires xAI, giving company a combined valuation of $1.25tn
SpaceX is requesting permission to launch as many as a million satellites into the Earth’s orbit to speed up its AI plans
Graham Linehan to speak at congressional hearing on European big tech regulation
Committee to examine ‘Europe’s threat to American speech and innovation’
We talk a lot about the risks of technology for children. What about adults?
Some cognitive offloading to AI may be helpful. But the mass outsourcing of thinking will inevitably have negative consequences, both for individuals and for broader society
What is in the latest Epstein files? The key revelations so far
Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Bill Gates and Richard Branson are all mentioned in the newly released tranche of documents
Melania Trump is not Rapunzel in the tower, pining to be saved from the ogre imprisoning her
Melania is where she wants to be: in the bosom of a corrupt family that is prostituting the People’s House
Michael O’Leary offers hope of eventual return to Ukraine but only on Ryanair’s terms
Ryanair boss says airports in wartorn state will need to offer big discounts on charges if they want airline’s return
Madeline Cash: ‘Greater truths are often best articulated through humour. The fool can make real change’
The author on her debut novel Lost Lambs, tech billionaires, and the worst things about London
Gold and other metals prices plunge as rally comes to an end
Irish market ends week on positive note, lifted by gains in banking and travel stocks
No, objecting to the enormous wealth of billionaires is not begrudgery
Why do we only talk about alleviating poverty, but not controlling runaway wealth?
An hour and a half of sunshine in a week? No wonder Irish weather chat has intensified
Living abroad I was often taken by surprise when other nationalities would stare blankly in response to ‘lovely day, isn’t it?’
Tesla scraps models in pivot to AI as annual revenue falls for first time
Company reports better than expected profit despite sales decline
SpaceX weighs June IPO timed to planetary alignment and Elon Musk’s birthday
Celestial calendar meets high finance, as billionaire’s personal impulses shape plans to raise $50bn in record listing
Twitter manager subject to ‘direct dismissal in which he played no part’, court told
Labour Court hearing an appeal by Twitter, now X, of an award of €550,131 made at the Workplace Relations Commissions to Gary Rooney for unfair dismissal
European Commission opens investigation into Grok’s ‘nudification’ feature
Probe launched into breaches of EU digital regulations by X and Grok following recent controversy
Oxfam, billionaire wealth and some missing market context
It’s not only the super-rich who benefit from a rise share prices
Will Donald Trump’s advance on Doonbeg be kept in check by a humble snail?
Plus: Leo Varadkar’s birthday, Ryan’s Pub without Ryanair and a close look at Ireland’s sludge
Michael O’Leary beats Elon Musk in the business of insults
O’Leary knows how to pick a row that pays; Musk, not so much
Please Elon Musk, don’t make me defend Ryanair
I am by no means a Ryanair booster. And yet I have glimpsed the possibility – remote though it may be – of the airline’s customer experience actually worsening
The spat between Elon Musk and Michael O’Leary was more than just a spat
Despite being widely considered a bit of a loudmouth in Ireland, the Ryanair boss has been practising self-deprecation for decades
Tesla to sell Optimus robots to public next year, Elon Musk says
Tesla is already using some of the robots to do simple tasks in its factory, Musk says in Davos speech
Elon Musk’s SpaceX lines up four banks for blockbuster IPO
Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley set to take lead on listing
X permitted to appeal High Court dismissal of challenge to regulator’s online safety code
Social media platform says Coimisiún na Meán engaged in ‘regulatory overreach’
Ryanair would install wi-fi if Musk’s company foots the bill, O’Leary says
Airline has been in talks with Starlink and other developers, CEO Michael O’Leary confirms, but it believes passengers won’t buy it
The EU should channel Michael O’Leary when dealing with Donald Trump
EU needs to watch and learn from Michael O’Leary’s interactions with Donald Trump and Elon Musk
Dublin City Council suspends use of X as State agencies leave amid Grok controversy
Country’s largest local authority undertakes review of social media platform use as others sign out for good
European stocks hit by ongoing Trump tariff threats over Greenland
Tensions dent sentiment amid positive start to the year
Elon Musk asks followers whether he should buy Ryanair
Tesla boss posts poll on X in escalation of Starlink spat with Michael O’Leary
IDA would consider removing X from its books if firm deliberately breaches online safety rules
Agency chief also warns about corrosive impact to transatlantic trade from current Greenland debacle
State’s EU presidency to include work on disabling non-consensual images and child-sex abuse material
The Minster with responsibility for AI Niamh Smyth is expected to raise the recent issue of Grok nudification
Even the most powerful business leaders stay quiet because they fear Trump
Failing to speak out about the US president’s ever more egregious actions is more dangerous than it appears
Will Grok backlash mark a turning point in AI regulation?
IT Sunday: The Grok case was simple to grasp, with widespread opposition and cries for a swift response
The rise and fall of Twitter: From a hub for democratic discourse to a bigoted, toxic sinkhole
Elon Musk’s site has evolved from one that influenced culture and helped foment revolution to one where users ‘get nothing back except rage’
Protesters at X headquarters in Dublin call for criminal accountability over AI nudes
Former employee said there had been ‘a drastic shrinking of moderation teams and loosening of safety policies’
Michael O’Leary takes aim at ‘liar’ Donald Trump and ‘idiot’ Elon Musk
Ryanair boss lashes US president and Tesla chief in media interviews
Elon Musk calls Michael O’Leary an ‘utter idiot’ in clash over Starlink wifi
US billionaire calls Ryanair chief executive an ‘utter idiot’, while O’Leary says Musk knows ‘zero’ about aviation
‘Concerns remain’ around Grok despite X’s assurances, says Minister
Coco’s Law bans sharing of intimate images but does not appear to criminalise generating them
Can Government actually hold Elon Musk and Grok to account?
Inside Politics podcast with Hugh Linehan
Tesla reviewing 8,313 potential self-driving traffic violations
US regulators give Tesla five week extenstion to address investigation
Ireland should use EU presidency ‘to ban AI tools for generating intimate images’
Expert group urges Government to act amid serious concern at social media giant X’s Grok app
Does Grok believe it can legally generate intimate images of women in Ireland?
The AI tool has been mired in international furore over its ability to generate sexualised images of women and children without their consent
Elon Musk’s X restricts Grok photo editing amid concerns about sexualised images
Company says AI tool will no longer enable ‘editing of images of real people in revealing clothing’ in places where that is illegal
People keep trying to make AI more human. Why?
For all the technology and computing power behind it, it seems the one thing AI lacks is a good dose of cop-on
AI Minister to seek legal advice on Government response to Grok app
Niamh Smyth says X must be held accountable for controversial AI-generated sexualised content
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Stardust
Inquests into the nightclub fire that led to the deaths of 48 people
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
Family NoticesOpens in new window
Weddings, Births, Deaths and other family notices