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Illustration: The Verge

Google’s greenhouse gas emissions have ballooned, according to the company’s latest environmental report, showing how much harder it’ll be for the company to meet its climate goals as it prioritizes AI.
Google has a goal of cutting its planet-heating pollution in half by 2030 compared to a 2019 baseline. But its total greenhouse gas emissions have actually grown by 48 percent since 2019. Last year alone, it produced 14.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide pollution — a 13 percent year-over-year increase from the year before and roughly equivalent to the amount of CO2 that 38 gas-fired power plants might release annually.
The jump in planet-heating pollution primarily comes from data center energy use and supply chain emissions, according to Google’s environmental report. Data centers are notoriously energy-hungry — those used to train AI even more so. Electricity consumption, mostly from data centers, added nearly a million metric tons of pollution to the company’s carbon footprint in 2023 and represents the biggest source of Google’s additional emissions last year.
“As we further integrate AI into our products, reducing emissions may be challenging”
Google is in its Gemini era, redesigning Search with generative AI and injecting AI into its other products like so many other tech giants are racing to do these days. The company points to the potential climate costs those new tools could have in its environmental report.
“As we further integrate AI into our products, reducing emissions may be challenging due to increasing energy demands from the greater intensity of AI compute, and the emissions associated with the expected increases in our technical infrastructure investment,” the report says. Google’s data center electricity consumption alone grew by 17 percent in 2023, a “trend” it expects to continue in the future, according to the report. Already, Google estimates that its data centers accounted for up to 10 percent of global data center electricity consumption in 2023.
To try to minimize its environmental impact, Google says it’s trying to make its AI models, hardware, and data centers more energy-efficient. The company also has a goal of running on carbon pollution-free energy around the clock on each power grid it plugs into by 2030.

Today, the world’s data centers use around 1 percent of the world’s electricity, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). But with the AI industry booming, the IEA recently estimated that it could consume 10 times as much electricity in 2026 as it did last year. In the US, the country with the most data centers, that’s raised fears about the steep rise in electricity demand from AI overwhelming power grids and potentially keeping coal and gas plants around for longer than they would have otherwise.
Google’s not alone when it comes to AI placing corporate climate aims further out of reach. Microsoft’s greenhouse gas emissions were around 30 percent higher in its 2023 fiscal year than they were in 2020.

Illustration: The Verge

Google’s greenhouse gas emissions have ballooned, according to the company’s latest environmental report, showing how much harder it’ll be for the company to meet its climate goals as it prioritizes AI.

Google has a goal of cutting its planet-heating pollution in half by 2030 compared to a 2019 baseline. But its total greenhouse gas emissions have actually grown by 48 percent since 2019. Last year alone, it produced 14.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide pollution — a 13 percent year-over-year increase from the year before and roughly equivalent to the amount of CO2 that 38 gas-fired power plants might release annually.

The jump in planet-heating pollution primarily comes from data center energy use and supply chain emissions, according to Google’s environmental report. Data centers are notoriously energy-hungry — those used to train AI even more so. Electricity consumption, mostly from data centers, added nearly a million metric tons of pollution to the company’s carbon footprint in 2023 and represents the biggest source of Google’s additional emissions last year.

Google is in its Gemini era, redesigning Search with generative AI and injecting AI into its other products like so many other tech giants are racing to do these days. The company points to the potential climate costs those new tools could have in its environmental report.

“As we further integrate AI into our products, reducing emissions may be challenging due to increasing energy demands from the greater intensity of AI compute, and the emissions associated with the expected increases in our technical infrastructure investment,” the report says. Google’s data center electricity consumption alone grew by 17 percent in 2023, a “trend” it expects to continue in the future, according to the report. Already, Google estimates that its data centers accounted for up to 10 percent of global data center electricity consumption in 2023.

To try to minimize its environmental impact, Google says it’s trying to make its AI models, hardware, and data centers more energy-efficient. The company also has a goal of running on carbon pollution-free energy around the clock on each power grid it plugs into by 2030.

Today, the world’s data centers use around 1 percent of the world’s electricity, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). But with the AI industry booming, the IEA recently estimated that it could consume 10 times as much electricity in 2026 as it did last year. In the US, the country with the most data centers, that’s raised fears about the steep rise in electricity demand from AI overwhelming power grids and potentially keeping coal and gas plants around for longer than they would have otherwise.

Google’s not alone when it comes to AI placing corporate climate aims further out of reach. Microsoft’s greenhouse gas emissions were around 30 percent higher in its 2023 fiscal year than they were in 2020.

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Image: Bandai Namco

Imagine if those aggressive salespeople at the Macy’s perfume counter were shoving napalm in your face instead of Chanel No. 5: that’s what it feels like playing with the new perfume bottle weapons in Shadow of the Erdtree.
The early days after any Souls game release are always some of the best. The speedrunners and content creators have found the best / most busted builds, while the developers haven’t had the time to nerf them yet. People post all kinds of wild videos of bosses melting within seconds, going down so fast they don’t even have time to trigger their second or third phases. It happened in vanilla Elden Ring with Hoarfrost Stomp, and it’s happening again with Erdtree’s perfume bottles.

Image: FromSoftware
Erdtree’s lightning perfume bottle weapon in action.

I’m typically not one to go after gimmicky builds. I like how I’ve built my character — using a mix of glintstone sorceries, dragon incantations, and melee weapons whose attack power scales with my high intelligence. Such a build was good enough to get me through the base game, so it should be good enough to get me through the DLC. But it’s not, or at least not enough for my patience level. And herein lies some of the problem with Erdtree’s difficulty.
In the base game, bosses were resistant to certain attacks and weak to others, but nothing so much that they couldn’t be beaten no matter what your build was. Rennala didn’t phase me even though she was highly resistant to magic damage; I could still smack her to death with my sword instead of my staff. But it doesn’t feel like that same philosophy has carried over to Erdtree. In the expansion, some bosses feel like they’ve been overtuned to resist certain builds no matter what, forcing players to either completely respec or keep throwing themselves at the boss in hopes of a lucky break. That’s what happened with me and Rellana, Twin Moon Knight.
She, like her similarly named counterpart from the base game, has a high magic defense. But she’s also resistant to slashing damage, which completely shuts down both my main sources of damage and, in turn, totally negates the way I’ve chosen to play. For a game like Elden Ring — with all of its classes, weapons, spells, and equipment to choose from — every build should be viable when combined with learning the patterns of a boss. I’d feel totally different if, while trying to take her down, I felt I was still making progress against her. But even with a fair number of upgrades to my attack power and finding a combination of weapons and spells that should have worked against her resistances, I still could barely put a dent in her health bar.
Enough.

Alright, I’ve had enough pic.twitter.com/ewtOgpbVmh— Ash Parrish (@adashtra) June 30, 2024

I’d heard that the perfume bottles were broken in Erdtree. I even had one in my inventory after making my way through one of the harrowing gaol dungeons that has some unfortunate implications for our dear pot warrior friend Iron Fist Alexander. So I gave it a shot, figuring I’d use it for this one boss and respec back to my original build.
I picked up the lightning perfume bottle and the Rolling Sparks Ash of War and changed my stats to fit them just like I had seen in videos. For a test run, I snuck up on one of those huge armored knights with the big shields and massive hammers — enemies I just run from because, like most elite enemies in Erdtree, they’re too deadly for the scant rewards you earn from killing them. I aimed at his feet, unleashed Rolling Sparks, and… it was like the finger of god reached into the game’s code and hit “delete” on this guy. He just disappeared. Here’s what that looks like in action.

With my trial successful, it was time for the real test: Rellana.

AHAAAHAHAAAHAHAAAAAAoh god AHAAHAHAJESUSAHAAAHAAAHAAAAA! https://t.co/WPbNQK9JFD pic.twitter.com/GLpqls9I54— Ash Parrish (@adashtra) June 30, 2024

Needless to say, it worked.
I can’t go back now. I don’t want to go back. Having this kind of power at my disposal has completely changed my approach to Erdtree. I do not have to slink around, fearful of every dark corner, or run past anything larger than an electric sheep.
But I’m not totally fearless. A good sneak attack or recklessness with a boss will take me out. I’m also not all-powerful. I still tend to avoid the uterus monsters and the big flame golems — I don’t want the smoke, you see. The build is also very temperamental. To do the kind of face-melting numbers seen in videos, I can’t lock on in order to aim at my opponent’s feet while praying they don’t move too much. Even though this build is pure grade-A uncut cheese, I don’t feel like I’m cheating. (Besides, according to game director Hidetaka Miyazaki, I’m supposed to use everything at my disposal anyway.) I still have to play Erdtree with the same healthy respect for strategy and my enemies that I did in the base game.
I know this won’t last. Just like with Hoarfrost Stomp, I’m reasonably assured the perfume build will be depowered to the point of uselessness and I will have to return to my original build.
But for now, I am deeply enjoying being a walking tactical nuke who smells amazing.

Image: Bandai Namco

Imagine if those aggressive salespeople at the Macy’s perfume counter were shoving napalm in your face instead of Chanel No. 5: that’s what it feels like playing with the new perfume bottle weapons in Shadow of the Erdtree.

The early days after any Souls game release are always some of the best. The speedrunners and content creators have found the best / most busted builds, while the developers haven’t had the time to nerf them yet. People post all kinds of wild videos of bosses melting within seconds, going down so fast they don’t even have time to trigger their second or third phases. It happened in vanilla Elden Ring with Hoarfrost Stomp, and it’s happening again with Erdtree’s perfume bottles.

Image: FromSoftware
Erdtree’s lightning perfume bottle weapon in action.

I’m typically not one to go after gimmicky builds. I like how I’ve built my character — using a mix of glintstone sorceries, dragon incantations, and melee weapons whose attack power scales with my high intelligence. Such a build was good enough to get me through the base game, so it should be good enough to get me through the DLC. But it’s not, or at least not enough for my patience level. And herein lies some of the problem with Erdtree’s difficulty.

In the base game, bosses were resistant to certain attacks and weak to others, but nothing so much that they couldn’t be beaten no matter what your build was. Rennala didn’t phase me even though she was highly resistant to magic damage; I could still smack her to death with my sword instead of my staff. But it doesn’t feel like that same philosophy has carried over to Erdtree. In the expansion, some bosses feel like they’ve been overtuned to resist certain builds no matter what, forcing players to either completely respec or keep throwing themselves at the boss in hopes of a lucky break. That’s what happened with me and Rellana, Twin Moon Knight.

She, like her similarly named counterpart from the base game, has a high magic defense. But she’s also resistant to slashing damage, which completely shuts down both my main sources of damage and, in turn, totally negates the way I’ve chosen to play. For a game like Elden Ring — with all of its classes, weapons, spells, and equipment to choose from — every build should be viable when combined with learning the patterns of a boss. I’d feel totally different if, while trying to take her down, I felt I was still making progress against her. But even with a fair number of upgrades to my attack power and finding a combination of weapons and spells that should have worked against her resistances, I still could barely put a dent in her health bar.

Enough.

I’d heard that the perfume bottles were broken in Erdtree. I even had one in my inventory after making my way through one of the harrowing gaol dungeons that has some unfortunate implications for our dear pot warrior friend Iron Fist Alexander. So I gave it a shot, figuring I’d use it for this one boss and respec back to my original build.

I picked up the lightning perfume bottle and the Rolling Sparks Ash of War and changed my stats to fit them just like I had seen in videos. For a test run, I snuck up on one of those huge armored knights with the big shields and massive hammers — enemies I just run from because, like most elite enemies in Erdtree, they’re too deadly for the scant rewards you earn from killing them. I aimed at his feet, unleashed Rolling Sparks, and… it was like the finger of god reached into the game’s code and hit “delete” on this guy. He just disappeared. Here’s what that looks like in action.

With my trial successful, it was time for the real test: Rellana.

Needless to say, it worked.

I can’t go back now. I don’t want to go back. Having this kind of power at my disposal has completely changed my approach to Erdtree. I do not have to slink around, fearful of every dark corner, or run past anything larger than an electric sheep.

But I’m not totally fearless. A good sneak attack or recklessness with a boss will take me out. I’m also not all-powerful. I still tend to avoid the uterus monsters and the big flame golems — I don’t want the smoke, you see. The build is also very temperamental. To do the kind of face-melting numbers seen in videos, I can’t lock on in order to aim at my opponent’s feet while praying they don’t move too much. Even though this build is pure grade-A uncut cheese, I don’t feel like I’m cheating. (Besides, according to game director Hidetaka Miyazaki, I’m supposed to use everything at my disposal anyway.) I still have to play Erdtree with the same healthy respect for strategy and my enemies that I did in the base game.

I know this won’t last. Just like with Hoarfrost Stomp, I’m reasonably assured the perfume build will be depowered to the point of uselessness and I will have to return to my original build.

But for now, I am deeply enjoying being a walking tactical nuke who smells amazing.

Read More 

Image: The Verge

A federal judge blocked a Mississippi law from taking effect that would have required age verification for all and parental consent for teens in order to make accounts on many social media sites.
The preliminary injunction fell on the same day the Supreme Court issued a ruling in a pair of cases challenging social media laws in Florida and Texas that sought to regulate social media companies’ content moderation. SCOTUS sent the cases back to the lower courts but made clear that platforms’ content moderation and curation was protected speech.
NetChoice, the industry group that represents Meta and Google and was also lead party in the SCOTUS cases, brought the challenge to Mississippi House Bill 1126. The law was set to take effect on Monday and was designed to protect kids from sexually explicit content. It required online services with content feeds or chat rooms — likely including platforms such as Facebook or YouTube — to verify users’ ages through “commercially reasonable efforts” and obtain parental consent in order for minors to create accounts. Platforms that did not comply would open themselves up to legal action from parents.
NetChoice argued the law would interfere with the rights of both adults and minors to access protected speech online. Mississippi’s attorney general argued the law only regulates “non-expressive conduct,” but US District Court Judge Halil Suleyman Ozerden noted in the order that he was not convinced that was the case.
The court accepted the AG’s assertion that “safeguarding the physical and psychological wellbeing of minors online is a compelling interest” but agreed with NetChoice that the legislation was not “narrowly tailored” to serve those goals. The court said that the AG failed to show that NetChoice’s suggested alternatives to the law to protect kids’ well-being — like giving parents more information about how to supervise their kids online — would be insufficient. Asking kids and adults to verify their ages to access protected speech, the judge wrote, “burdens adults’ First Amendment rights, and that alone makes it overinclusive.”
“We appreciate the court’s thoughtful and speedy review of this matter, but respectfully disagree that the Constitution blocks the State’s effort to protect children online,” Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said in a statement. “We will continue to fight for this commonsense law because our children’s mental health, physical security, and innocence should not take a back seat to Big Tech profits.”
NetChoice Litigation Center director Chris Marchese said in a statement the group was “pleased” by the decision and that “we look forward to seeing the law struck down permanently.”
NetChoice has successfully gotten judges around the country to block laws with the stated goal of protecting kids online but that the group says would actually violate the First Amendment by impeding speech. See: California, Arkansas, and Ohio.
The latest win for NetChoice — combined with the Supreme Court’s statement in its majority opinion in Moody v. NetChoice and NetChoice v. Paxton that content moderation and curation are First Amendment-protected expression — is a warning signal for legislatures across the country crafting tech regulations. The Supreme Court left open the possibility that tech laws could be crafted in ways that don’t violate the First Amendment, but the guidelines it sets out for what is likely to violate the Constitution could make that a tricky path to follow.
“It is not lost on the Court the seriousness of the issue the legislature was attempting to address, nor does the Court doubt the good intentions behind the enactment of H.B. 1126,” Ozerden wrote in his order. “But as the Supreme Court has held, ‘[a] law that is content based on its face is subject to strict scrutiny regardless of the government’s benign motive.’”

Image: The Verge

A federal judge blocked a Mississippi law from taking effect that would have required age verification for all and parental consent for teens in order to make accounts on many social media sites.

The preliminary injunction fell on the same day the Supreme Court issued a ruling in a pair of cases challenging social media laws in Florida and Texas that sought to regulate social media companies’ content moderation. SCOTUS sent the cases back to the lower courts but made clear that platforms’ content moderation and curation was protected speech.

NetChoice, the industry group that represents Meta and Google and was also lead party in the SCOTUS cases, brought the challenge to Mississippi House Bill 1126. The law was set to take effect on Monday and was designed to protect kids from sexually explicit content. It required online services with content feeds or chat rooms — likely including platforms such as Facebook or YouTube — to verify users’ ages through “commercially reasonable efforts” and obtain parental consent in order for minors to create accounts. Platforms that did not comply would open themselves up to legal action from parents.

NetChoice argued the law would interfere with the rights of both adults and minors to access protected speech online. Mississippi’s attorney general argued the law only regulates “non-expressive conduct,” but US District Court Judge Halil Suleyman Ozerden noted in the order that he was not convinced that was the case.

The court accepted the AG’s assertion that “safeguarding the physical and psychological wellbeing of minors online is a compelling interest” but agreed with NetChoice that the legislation was not “narrowly tailored” to serve those goals. The court said that the AG failed to show that NetChoice’s suggested alternatives to the law to protect kids’ well-being — like giving parents more information about how to supervise their kids online — would be insufficient. Asking kids and adults to verify their ages to access protected speech, the judge wrote, “burdens adults’ First Amendment rights, and that alone makes it overinclusive.”

“We appreciate the court’s thoughtful and speedy review of this matter, but respectfully disagree that the Constitution blocks the State’s effort to protect children online,” Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said in a statement. “We will continue to fight for this commonsense law because our children’s mental health, physical security, and innocence should not take a back seat to Big Tech profits.”

NetChoice Litigation Center director Chris Marchese said in a statement the group was “pleased” by the decision and that “we look forward to seeing the law struck down permanently.”

NetChoice has successfully gotten judges around the country to block laws with the stated goal of protecting kids online but that the group says would actually violate the First Amendment by impeding speech. See: California, Arkansas, and Ohio.

The latest win for NetChoice — combined with the Supreme Court’s statement in its majority opinion in Moody v. NetChoice and NetChoice v. Paxton that content moderation and curation are First Amendment-protected expression — is a warning signal for legislatures across the country crafting tech regulations. The Supreme Court left open the possibility that tech laws could be crafted in ways that don’t violate the First Amendment, but the guidelines it sets out for what is likely to violate the Constitution could make that a tricky path to follow.

“It is not lost on the Court the seriousness of the issue the legislature was attempting to address, nor does the Court doubt the good intentions behind the enactment of H.B. 1126,” Ozerden wrote in his order. “But as the Supreme Court has held, ‘[a] law that is content based on its face is subject to strict scrutiny regardless of the government’s benign motive.’”

Read More 

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Modular laptops with parts that can be swapped out as needed are becoming more popular, like Framework’s Laptop 16 and the Lenovo ThinkPad P1. When it comes to improving the sustainability of consumer electronics, there’s a growing movement to design devices with a focus on upgradability and repairability that can extend their longevity, instead of just making them easier to recycle after a few years of use.
At one time, nearly every laptop maker was caught up in a race to create ultrathin designs, resulting in hardware that was difficult to upgrade and expensive to repair. But in recent years, several companies have demonstrated that laptops can be designed so that users can upgrade and easily swap out parts as needed.
Innovative companies like Framework have been producing laptops that don’t need to be entirely replaced every few years, and with more success than other companies previously following similar pursuits. In 2021, Dell was sued over its Alienware laptop that promised GPU upgrades, while Intel has abandoned a couple of modular hardware products, including its Compute Cards.
For now, it’s primarily Framework leading the charge, but its success has inspired competitors like Lenovo to follow suit. As more companies dedicate R&D to the cause, Framework may one day no longer be the only brand associated with modular devices.
You can stay on top of all the latest upgradable and easily repairable device news and developments right here.

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Modular laptops with parts that can be swapped out as needed are becoming more popular, like Framework’s Laptop 16 and the Lenovo ThinkPad P1.

When it comes to improving the sustainability of consumer electronics, there’s a growing movement to design devices with a focus on upgradability and repairability that can extend their longevity, instead of just making them easier to recycle after a few years of use.

At one time, nearly every laptop maker was caught up in a race to create ultrathin designs, resulting in hardware that was difficult to upgrade and expensive to repair. But in recent years, several companies have demonstrated that laptops can be designed so that users can upgrade and easily swap out parts as needed.

Innovative companies like Framework have been producing laptops that don’t need to be entirely replaced every few years, and with more success than other companies previously following similar pursuits. In 2021, Dell was sued over its Alienware laptop that promised GPU upgrades, while Intel has abandoned a couple of modular hardware products, including its Compute Cards.

For now, it’s primarily Framework leading the charge, but its success has inspired competitors like Lenovo to follow suit. As more companies dedicate R&D to the cause, Framework may one day no longer be the only brand associated with modular devices.

You can stay on top of all the latest upgradable and easily repairable device news and developments right here.

Read More 

The current promo lets you secure a better rate than either of the monthly plans, but you’ll have to pay upfront. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

With a Paramount Plus price hike coming on August 20th, now might be a good time to secure a year’s worth of access to the streaming service. Thankfully, Paramount is offering new and returning subscribers 50 percent off its Paramount Plus with Showtime plan, dropping the price of an annual ad-free plan to $59.99 (down from $119.99) until July 14th. That’s about $5 broken down monthly, as opposed to its forthcoming monthly rate of $12.99.

Paramount has steadily loaded its streaming coffers over the years with movies and shows from its film divisions, CBS networks, and more. Do you like planes, Tom Cruise, or a combination of both? Top Gun: Maverick should be your first stop if you haven’t already seen the modern take on dogfighting aviation. Trekkies will be in heaven with all of the Star Trek content available, from archives of the classic series to modern spinoffs like Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. You’ll also find ageless sketch comedies like Chappelle’s Show and Key & Peele, the whole Yellowstone catalog, and even reality shows like Jersey Shore if you’re still living in your Snooki era. You can also check out newer dramas like Evil, Mayor of Kingstown, and the polarizing Halo series.
The service also has live sports and news, including in-market NFL games, UEFA Champions League matches, and 24/7 access to whatever’s playing on your local CBS affiliate station. The Showtime component you’ll get adds a lot more with older fan favorites, such as Dexter, and newer series like The Chi and Yellowjackets. Paramount Plus hasn’t always been the most exciting streaming service, but its attractiveness has heightened in recent years, and today’s deal is the perfect opportunity to see why for yourself.

More money, more savings

The Logitech Yeti GX is down to an all-time low of $119.95 ($30 off) at Amazon. The dynamic RGB microphone caters to gamers, streamers, and podcasters with a supercardioid pickup pattern, which is designed to suppress your key clicks and isolate your voice. It features Lightsync integration, too, meaning you can use Logitech’s Hub software to customize two lighting zones or sync them with other gear you own. Unlike older Yeti microphones, the Yeti GX also goes out of its way to help you maintain proper gain levels without much fiddling required on your part.

Amazon and Best Buy are selling Lego’s Mars Rover Perseverance for $79.99 ($20 off), which is the best price we’ve seen on the set so far. Designed for ages 10 and older, the 1,132-piece Technic kit allows you to build a functional land vehicle with 360-degree steering. Lego says its six-wheel suspension can handle uneven terrain, and you can mechanically control the placement of its arms. It also comes with a mini Mars Ingenuity helicopter and works with a companion augmented reality app, which lets you traverse a virtual moon to collect samples.

Woot’s Xbox Game Pass Ultimate deal is back until August 1st, allowing new and existing subscribers to pick up a month for $11.79 (around $3 off) or three months for $34.49 (about $10 off). The subscription is your ticket to online multiplayer and party chat on Xbox, plus access to a rotating library of games across console and Windows PCs. It practically pays for itself if you’re a heavy gamer, as Microsoft provides day-one access for nearly all of its first-party titles and even some third-party releases. This includes the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, the first game in the series to get such treatment since Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard.

The current promo lets you secure a better rate than either of the monthly plans, but you’ll have to pay upfront. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

With a Paramount Plus price hike coming on August 20th, now might be a good time to secure a year’s worth of access to the streaming service. Thankfully, Paramount is offering new and returning subscribers 50 percent off its Paramount Plus with Showtime plan, dropping the price of an annual ad-free plan to $59.99 (down from $119.99) until July 14th. That’s about $5 broken down monthly, as opposed to its forthcoming monthly rate of $12.99.

Paramount has steadily loaded its streaming coffers over the years with movies and shows from its film divisions, CBS networks, and more. Do you like planes, Tom Cruise, or a combination of both? Top Gun: Maverick should be your first stop if you haven’t already seen the modern take on dogfighting aviation. Trekkies will be in heaven with all of the Star Trek content available, from archives of the classic series to modern spinoffs like Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. You’ll also find ageless sketch comedies like Chappelle’s Show and Key & Peele, the whole Yellowstone catalog, and even reality shows like Jersey Shore if you’re still living in your Snooki era. You can also check out newer dramas like Evil, Mayor of Kingstown, and the polarizing Halo series.

The service also has live sports and news, including in-market NFL games, UEFA Champions League matches, and 24/7 access to whatever’s playing on your local CBS affiliate station. The Showtime component you’ll get adds a lot more with older fan favorites, such as Dexter, and newer series like The Chi and Yellowjackets. Paramount Plus hasn’t always been the most exciting streaming service, but its attractiveness has heightened in recent years, and today’s deal is the perfect opportunity to see why for yourself.

More money, more savings

The Logitech Yeti GX is down to an all-time low of $119.95 ($30 off) at Amazon. The dynamic RGB microphone caters to gamers, streamers, and podcasters with a supercardioid pickup pattern, which is designed to suppress your key clicks and isolate your voice. It features Lightsync integration, too, meaning you can use Logitech’s Hub software to customize two lighting zones or sync them with other gear you own. Unlike older Yeti microphones, the Yeti GX also goes out of its way to help you maintain proper gain levels without much fiddling required on your part.

Amazon and Best Buy are selling Lego’s Mars Rover Perseverance for $79.99 ($20 off), which is the best price we’ve seen on the set so far. Designed for ages 10 and older, the 1,132-piece Technic kit allows you to build a functional land vehicle with 360-degree steering. Lego says its six-wheel suspension can handle uneven terrain, and you can mechanically control the placement of its arms. It also comes with a mini Mars Ingenuity helicopter and works with a companion augmented reality app, which lets you traverse a virtual moon to collect samples.

Woot’s Xbox Game Pass Ultimate deal is back until August 1st, allowing new and existing subscribers to pick up a month for $11.79 (around $3 off) or three months for $34.49 (about $10 off). The subscription is your ticket to online multiplayer and party chat on Xbox, plus access to a rotating library of games across console and Windows PCs. It practically pays for itself if you’re a heavy gamer, as Microsoft provides day-one access for nearly all of its first-party titles and even some third-party releases. This includes the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, the first game in the series to get such treatment since Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard.

Read More 

The Pixel 9 could come with a new camera bump. | Image: OnLeaks via 91Mobiles

The next generation of Pixel phones could come with new “Google AI” features, including one that sounds a little like Microsoft’s controversial Recall tool. As reported by Android Authority, Google is working on a “Pixel Screenshots” feature that can “save and process helpful details” from your screenshots, allowing you to search through them.
However, unlike Microsoft Recall, which automatically captures what you’re doing on your device, Google’s version would only process the screenshots taken manually — which should immediately make it less creepy-feeling than Recall. Microsoft delayed the rollout of Recall on Windows 11 after security experts raised concerns about the feature. Even though Google AI may only use the screenshots you take, it could raise similar concerns based on how the information is processed and stored.
Images obtained by Android Authority indicate that you can enable or disable AI processing for your screenshots at any time. When toggled on, it looks like you can use the feature to summarize your screenshots or answer questions about the information in them. Google will also save metadata, such as links, app names, and when the screenshot was taken to make it easier to search for specific images, according to Android Authority.
Google is planning to roll out a similar feature in Google Photos that uses AI to help you search through your photos. These aren’t the only AI features Google is working on, either. In addition to Pixel Screenshots, Android Authority reports that a new photo editing feature called “Add Me” will live under the Google AI umbrella. This feature could let you add someone to a group photo, which goes a step further than tweaking everyone’s faces with Best Take. Google will also reportedly add a previously rumored Studio tool that could use AI to generate stickers and other images.
Google hinted heavily at new AI features for the Pixel 9 in a teaser for its surprise hardware event on August 13th. So far, the Pixel 9 is rumored to come in three sizes with a redesigned camera setup that ditches the bar for an oblong bump.

The Pixel 9 could come with a new camera bump. | Image: OnLeaks via 91Mobiles

The next generation of Pixel phones could come with new “Google AI” features, including one that sounds a little like Microsoft’s controversial Recall tool. As reported by Android Authority, Google is working on a “Pixel Screenshots” feature that can “save and process helpful details” from your screenshots, allowing you to search through them.

However, unlike Microsoft Recall, which automatically captures what you’re doing on your device, Google’s version would only process the screenshots taken manually — which should immediately make it less creepy-feeling than Recall. Microsoft delayed the rollout of Recall on Windows 11 after security experts raised concerns about the feature. Even though Google AI may only use the screenshots you take, it could raise similar concerns based on how the information is processed and stored.

Images obtained by Android Authority indicate that you can enable or disable AI processing for your screenshots at any time. When toggled on, it looks like you can use the feature to summarize your screenshots or answer questions about the information in them. Google will also save metadata, such as links, app names, and when the screenshot was taken to make it easier to search for specific images, according to Android Authority.

Google is planning to roll out a similar feature in Google Photos that uses AI to help you search through your photos. These aren’t the only AI features Google is working on, either. In addition to Pixel Screenshots, Android Authority reports that a new photo editing feature called “Add Me” will live under the Google AI umbrella. This feature could let you add someone to a group photo, which goes a step further than tweaking everyone’s faces with Best Take. Google will also reportedly add a previously rumored Studio tool that could use AI to generate stickers and other images.

Google hinted heavily at new AI features for the Pixel 9 in a teaser for its surprise hardware event on August 13th. So far, the Pixel 9 is rumored to come in three sizes with a redesigned camera setup that ditches the bar for an oblong bump.

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Illustration: The Verge

It hasn’t always been that simple to create a PDF using your phone. Several years ago, when I started handling my mother’s bills, I realized I needed a quick way to scan her documents while I was at her home. Rather than drag a scanner around, I found a handy Android app called Tiny Scanner that let me turn paper documents into easy-to-store PDFs using my phone’s camera.
Later, Google introduced the beta of its own scanning app called Stack, so I began using that to create many of my PDFs. It offers quick scans and categorization and was just a little more fun to use.
However, as is Google’s wont, that company is now sunsetting Stack and giving some (although not all) of the app’s abilities to create, edit, and store PDFs to Google Drive, the storage service app that comes installed on Android phones. (I suppose I should be grateful that Google has incorporated at least some of Slack’s features into Android’s Drive app, but the handy categorization and other automatically added details are now gone, making it just that much more difficult for me to find that one document I need right now.)
So now, if you want to create a quick PDF using Drive, here’s how it works:

Go to your Google Drive app (if by some weird chance, your phone doesn’t have Drive, look for it in the Play Store).
Lay out your document — on a contrasting surface, if possible; I found it works a lot better that way — and tap the camera icon (right above the +New button).

Screenshot: Google
Auto capture finds the edges of the new PDF.

Screenshot: Google
Once created, the PDF is previewed and can be edited.

The app will now determine the edges of your PDF using a blue outline. It will assume you want to use Auto capture, which lets the app itself figure out the document’s edges and immediately create a draft PDF.
If you’re more of a do-it-yourself person, you can tap on the Manual button just under your image, move your phone around to adjust the outline, and then hit the shutter button — but since you will be able to adjust the cropping on the next page anyway, you might as well let Auto capture do its thing. It’s faster.
If you have already taken a picture of the document, there is also a photo icon to the left of the shutter button that lets you select an image from Photos instead.
Either way, once you’ve got your draft PDF, you will be automatically taken to a page where you can edit it: crop it to adjust the outline, use a filter, clean it up, retake it, or delete it.
The same page lets you create a multi-page document if you need one — just tap on the plus icon just under the image to add the next page.
Happy with your document? Select Done in the top right corner, select where in Google Drive you want to place it, and tap Save.

You can also edit an existing PDF:

Screenshot: Google
To edit an existing PDF, select the edit icon in the bottom right corner.

Screenshot: Google
Existing PDFs have limited editing features.

While in Drive, tap on the PDF file you want to edit.
Look for the edit icon in the lower right corner. Tap on that, and you can write on or highlight the document using variously colored “ink.”
Using the icons on top of the page, you can also add a comment or do a search within the document.
Tap the three dots in the upper right corner, and you can share the document, manage access to it, download it, or perform a number of other editorial tasks.

Of course, this isn’t everything you’d want to do with a PDF file — for example, you might want to remove a page, add text, or password-protect a document. In that case, unfortunately, you will probably have to use Adobe Acrobat or some other for-pay app.

Illustration: The Verge

It hasn’t always been that simple to create a PDF using your phone. Several years ago, when I started handling my mother’s bills, I realized I needed a quick way to scan her documents while I was at her home. Rather than drag a scanner around, I found a handy Android app called Tiny Scanner that let me turn paper documents into easy-to-store PDFs using my phone’s camera.

Later, Google introduced the beta of its own scanning app called Stack, so I began using that to create many of my PDFs. It offers quick scans and categorization and was just a little more fun to use.

However, as is Google’s wont, that company is now sunsetting Stack and giving some (although not all) of the app’s abilities to create, edit, and store PDFs to Google Drive, the storage service app that comes installed on Android phones. (I suppose I should be grateful that Google has incorporated at least some of Slack’s features into Android’s Drive app, but the handy categorization and other automatically added details are now gone, making it just that much more difficult for me to find that one document I need right now.)

So now, if you want to create a quick PDF using Drive, here’s how it works:

Go to your Google Drive app (if by some weird chance, your phone doesn’t have Drive, look for it in the Play Store).
Lay out your document — on a contrasting surface, if possible; I found it works a lot better that way — and tap the camera icon (right above the +New button).

The app will now determine the edges of your PDF using a blue outline. It will assume you want to use Auto capture, which lets the app itself figure out the document’s edges and immediately create a draft PDF.
If you’re more of a do-it-yourself person, you can tap on the Manual button just under your image, move your phone around to adjust the outline, and then hit the shutter button — but since you will be able to adjust the cropping on the next page anyway, you might as well let Auto capture do its thing. It’s faster.
If you have already taken a picture of the document, there is also a photo icon to the left of the shutter button that lets you select an image from Photos instead.
Either way, once you’ve got your draft PDF, you will be automatically taken to a page where you can edit it: crop it to adjust the outline, use a filter, clean it up, retake it, or delete it.
The same page lets you create a multi-page document if you need one — just tap on the plus icon just under the image to add the next page.
Happy with your document? Select Done in the top right corner, select where in Google Drive you want to place it, and tap Save.

You can also edit an existing PDF:

While in Drive, tap on the PDF file you want to edit.
Look for the edit icon in the lower right corner. Tap on that, and you can write on or highlight the document using variously colored “ink.”
Using the icons on top of the page, you can also add a comment or do a search within the document.
Tap the three dots in the upper right corner, and you can share the document, manage access to it, download it, or perform a number of other editorial tasks.

Of course, this isn’t everything you’d want to do with a PDF file — for example, you might want to remove a page, add text, or password-protect a document. In that case, unfortunately, you will probably have to use Adobe Acrobat or some other for-pay app.

Read More 

A traffic warden during an eight-hour shift under the hot sun in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 12th, 2023, where temperatures reached 106 degrees Fahrenheit amid a heatwave. | Photo: Getty Images

The Biden administration says it will propose new rules today to protect workers from the deadliest weather-related risk Americans face: extreme heat. The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is expected to post its new heat protections on the federal register today, Biden administration officials said on a press call yesterday.
The rules are supposed to prevent heat-related illnesses and deaths on the job. Heat already kills far more people in the US than hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, or any other weather-related disaster. Global warming is only making the problem worse, leading to longer, more frequent, and more intense heatwaves. The proposed rules are meant to enable workplace protections to catch up with that reality.
Heat already kills far more people in the US than hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, or any other weather-related disaster
Under the new rules, employers would need to craft plans to prevent heat injury and illness. That includes designating a heat safety coordinator and having procedures in place to respond to symptoms of heat illness like muscle cramps, nausea, and fainting.
They’d also have to monitor workplaces for potentially dangerous conditions. A heat index of 80 degrees Fahrenheit, which takes into account both heat and humidity, would trigger a set of requirements to keep workers safe. Employees working in that heat would need access to drinking water and a break area where they can cool down, for instance. A heat index of 90F or higher would trigger more requirements, including paid 15-minute breaks every couple of hours on the job. Rest breaks can help people acclimatize to the heat, according to Biden administration officials on the call.
The rule is expected to cover some 35 million workers who are routinely exposed to heat risk — including people who work in construction, agriculture, and other jobs outdoors. It doesn’t cover teleworkers or folks who work indoors with air conditioning that consistently keeps temperatures below the heat index thresholds laid out in the rules. Nor does it include state and local public employees who are not covered by OSHA or certain emergency responders.

The proposal is already a few years in the making — the Biden administration announced that it would start the rulemaking process back in September 2021. “While we have all seen the graphic and heart-wrenching images of super-storms, wildfires, and floods in recent weeks, another climate disaster is lurking just below the radar: extreme heat,” President Joe Biden said in a statement at the time.
You could use the same words to describe more recent disasters, including Hurricane Beryl tearing through the Caribbean this week and a heatwave exacerbating raging blazes in California. Nearly 83 million people are currently under heat alerts in the US, roughly a quarter of the nation’s population. Biden plans to convene a White House Summit on Extreme Heat later this summer, according to a fact sheet released today.

A traffic warden during an eight-hour shift under the hot sun in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 12th, 2023, where temperatures reached 106 degrees Fahrenheit amid a heatwave. | Photo: Getty Images

The Biden administration says it will propose new rules today to protect workers from the deadliest weather-related risk Americans face: extreme heat. The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is expected to post its new heat protections on the federal register today, Biden administration officials said on a press call yesterday.

The rules are supposed to prevent heat-related illnesses and deaths on the job. Heat already kills far more people in the US than hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, or any other weather-related disaster. Global warming is only making the problem worse, leading to longer, more frequent, and more intense heatwaves. The proposed rules are meant to enable workplace protections to catch up with that reality.

Under the new rules, employers would need to craft plans to prevent heat injury and illness. That includes designating a heat safety coordinator and having procedures in place to respond to symptoms of heat illness like muscle cramps, nausea, and fainting.

They’d also have to monitor workplaces for potentially dangerous conditions. A heat index of 80 degrees Fahrenheit, which takes into account both heat and humidity, would trigger a set of requirements to keep workers safe. Employees working in that heat would need access to drinking water and a break area where they can cool down, for instance. A heat index of 90F or higher would trigger more requirements, including paid 15-minute breaks every couple of hours on the job. Rest breaks can help people acclimatize to the heat, according to Biden administration officials on the call.

The rule is expected to cover some 35 million workers who are routinely exposed to heat risk — including people who work in construction, agriculture, and other jobs outdoors. It doesn’t cover teleworkers or folks who work indoors with air conditioning that consistently keeps temperatures below the heat index thresholds laid out in the rules. Nor does it include state and local public employees who are not covered by OSHA or certain emergency responders.

The proposal is already a few years in the making — the Biden administration announced that it would start the rulemaking process back in September 2021. “While we have all seen the graphic and heart-wrenching images of super-storms, wildfires, and floods in recent weeks, another climate disaster is lurking just below the radar: extreme heat,” President Joe Biden said in a statement at the time.

You could use the same words to describe more recent disasters, including Hurricane Beryl tearing through the Caribbean this week and a heatwave exacerbating raging blazes in California. Nearly 83 million people are currently under heat alerts in the US, roughly a quarter of the nation’s population. Biden plans to convene a White House Summit on Extreme Heat later this summer, according to a fact sheet released today.

Read More 

Maxxxine. | Image: A24

For the last few years, Ti West hasn’t stopped thinking about the horror villains Pearl and Maxine. Since 2020, the writer and director has been fully immersed in the genre-spanning franchise that started with the ’70s slasher flick X and continued with the technicolor prequel Pearl, which were filmed back-to-back in New Zealand during the pandemic and released in 2022. Now things culminate with the premiere of the series’ third act, the very ’80s thriller Maxxxine. It’s been an intense process that has meant West hasn’t had much time for anything else. “It’s all such a blur at this point,” he tells The Verge. “It’s been seven days a week, 12 hours a day, for four and a half years.”
The franchise was born, in part, out of practicality. West had initially only pitched X to the powers that be at A24 but had ideas for a bigger trilogy in the back of his mind. And after getting a cast and crew to New Zealand and building the sets, he realized he could film a lot of that work again for a prequel. “We had already spent all of this time and money building a Texas farm in New Zealand. How do we reuse it for free?” he remembers thinking. “How do we amortize all of those costs and make the movie less of a risk for A24? That’s where the idea came from from a practical standpoint.” He ended up writing the script for Pearl in a two-week-long flurry while in quarantine so that they could start shooting right away.

Photo by Kevin Winter / Getty Images

Ti West at the premiere of Maxxxine in Los Angeles.

Because of this, the first two films serve as accompanying pieces. Not only are the sets largely the same, but Mia Goth stars in both. In Pearl, she’s the titular villain, and in X, she plays both an aged Pearl and Maxine, the sole survivor of the elder’s latest massacre. Stylistically, the films are different — one awash in bright Wizard of Oz colors, the other grimy like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre — but they share a tight connection through the story, location, and cast. West says that he always had “rough ideas” for a trilogy but didn’t really commit to writing until he knew the next movie was a sure thing.
“To take it to Hollywood, to take it to Los Angeles, the movie needed to have scope.”
Pearl and X were scrappy films, and their success meant that West was able to expand the scale and ambition of Maxxxine with a bigger-budget production. The farmhouse is gone, swapped out for a glitzy Hollywood full of stars. The story follows Maxine as she attempts to make it as an actress only to get caught up with a killer stalking Los Angeles, and Goth is joined by a cast that includes Elizabeth Debicki, Halsey, Giancarlo Esposito, and Kevin Bacon. That increased scale means increased expectations, but West says he intentionally decided to go bigger for the third movie because the goal was “to not repeat ourselves.”
“That was part of the concept of the trilogy: they would be very different and cinema would be the connective tissue,” he explains. “But also, the other two movies are contained, and they didn’t have scope. To take it to Hollywood, to take it to Los Angeles, the movie needed to have scope … if X is a movie about someone who wants to get into the movie business from the outside, and Pearl is about someone who looks at the movie business as hopeful, Maxxxine is a movie where you’re here now. What’s it actually like?”

Tying to this idea of making each film distinct was the goal of also making each stand on its own. They complement each other, and the viewing experience is richer if you watch them all, but you can start at any point in the story. West says that he wanted “to make a trilogy where you didn’t have to see the other movies. That alienates a huge portion of the audience who would never watch a movie like X, so they won’t see Maxxxine. Pearl is a great example of that: I didn’t want people to think they couldn’t see Pearl because the idea of X freaked them out too much.”
“I don’t know what we would’ve called it if she didn’t have an X in her name.”
That’s how he ultimately landed on the franchise’s unique naming scheme. The original idea was to follow X with XX and culminate in XXX, but that changed once he started work on the later films. “Once I wrote Pearl, it was clear this movie should be called Pearl,” he explains, adding that “by some miracle, Maxine has an X in her name, so we could just add Xs. I don’t know what we would’ve called it if she didn’t have an X in her name.”
For now, Maxxxine marks the end of the story. But, as with before, West is still kicking around some ideas for where the franchise could go from here. While he’s not giving anything away just yet, there is one key difference this time: he might actually take a break. “I’d like to try to get the snowball rolling on whatever I’m hoping to be next,” he says, “and then take a little vacation before jumping into it.”

Maxxxine. | Image: A24

For the last few years, Ti West hasn’t stopped thinking about the horror villains Pearl and Maxine. Since 2020, the writer and director has been fully immersed in the genre-spanning franchise that started with the ’70s slasher flick X and continued with the technicolor prequel Pearl, which were filmed back-to-back in New Zealand during the pandemic and released in 2022. Now things culminate with the premiere of the series’ third act, the very ’80s thriller Maxxxine. It’s been an intense process that has meant West hasn’t had much time for anything else. “It’s all such a blur at this point,” he tells The Verge. “It’s been seven days a week, 12 hours a day, for four and a half years.”

The franchise was born, in part, out of practicality. West had initially only pitched X to the powers that be at A24 but had ideas for a bigger trilogy in the back of his mind. And after getting a cast and crew to New Zealand and building the sets, he realized he could film a lot of that work again for a prequel. “We had already spent all of this time and money building a Texas farm in New Zealand. How do we reuse it for free?” he remembers thinking. “How do we amortize all of those costs and make the movie less of a risk for A24? That’s where the idea came from from a practical standpoint.” He ended up writing the script for Pearl in a two-week-long flurry while in quarantine so that they could start shooting right away.

Photo by Kevin Winter / Getty Images

Ti West at the premiere of Maxxxine in Los Angeles.

Because of this, the first two films serve as accompanying pieces. Not only are the sets largely the same, but Mia Goth stars in both. In Pearl, she’s the titular villain, and in X, she plays both an aged Pearl and Maxine, the sole survivor of the elder’s latest massacre. Stylistically, the films are different — one awash in bright Wizard of Oz colors, the other grimy like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre — but they share a tight connection through the story, location, and cast. West says that he always had “rough ideas” for a trilogy but didn’t really commit to writing until he knew the next movie was a sure thing.

Pearl and X were scrappy films, and their success meant that West was able to expand the scale and ambition of Maxxxine with a bigger-budget production. The farmhouse is gone, swapped out for a glitzy Hollywood full of stars. The story follows Maxine as she attempts to make it as an actress only to get caught up with a killer stalking Los Angeles, and Goth is joined by a cast that includes Elizabeth Debicki, Halsey, Giancarlo Esposito, and Kevin Bacon. That increased scale means increased expectations, but West says he intentionally decided to go bigger for the third movie because the goal was “to not repeat ourselves.”

“That was part of the concept of the trilogy: they would be very different and cinema would be the connective tissue,” he explains. “But also, the other two movies are contained, and they didn’t have scope. To take it to Hollywood, to take it to Los Angeles, the movie needed to have scope … if X is a movie about someone who wants to get into the movie business from the outside, and Pearl is about someone who looks at the movie business as hopeful, Maxxxine is a movie where you’re here now. What’s it actually like?”

Tying to this idea of making each film distinct was the goal of also making each stand on its own. They complement each other, and the viewing experience is richer if you watch them all, but you can start at any point in the story. West says that he wanted “to make a trilogy where you didn’t have to see the other movies. That alienates a huge portion of the audience who would never watch a movie like X, so they won’t see Maxxxine. Pearl is a great example of that: I didn’t want people to think they couldn’t see Pearl because the idea of X freaked them out too much.”

That’s how he ultimately landed on the franchise’s unique naming scheme. The original idea was to follow X with XX and culminate in XXX, but that changed once he started work on the later films. “Once I wrote Pearl, it was clear this movie should be called Pearl,” he explains, adding that “by some miracle, Maxine has an X in her name, so we could just add Xs. I don’t know what we would’ve called it if she didn’t have an X in her name.”

For now, Maxxxine marks the end of the story. But, as with before, West is still kicking around some ideas for where the franchise could go from here. While he’s not giving anything away just yet, there is one key difference this time: he might actually take a break. “I’d like to try to get the snowball rolling on whatever I’m hoping to be next,” he says, “and then take a little vacation before jumping into it.”

Read More 

Photo by John Thys / AFP via Getty Images

On the heels of Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s massive payday, the company released its latest quarterly production and delivery report, showing drops from last year in both production and deliveries.
Tesla reported producing 410,831 vehicles over the three-month period that ended in June, a 14 percent drop compared to the second quarter of 2023. Tesla reported delivering 443,956 vehicles to customers during Q2 of 2024, a 4.76 percent drop from the 466,140 vehicles it delivered in Q2 2023.
This continues a trend that began earlier this year in which Tesla reported its first year-over-year sales drop since 2020. The company is continuing to struggle with demand as customers have more choices than ever when shopping for an electric vehicle. It did turn around last quarter’s sequential drop in deliveries, with an increase of 14.8 percent compared to Q1.
Tesla has also been dealing with some real struggles that have affected its production, like the ramp-up of the newly refreshed Model 3 at its factory in Fremont, California, and shutdowns related to supply chain issues at its Gigafactory in Berlin.
But production woes can’t totally explain the drop in customer deliveries. Tesla’s market share has shrunk as legacy automakers continue to release new models. It’s now hovering at around 50 percent of the market, down from 80 percent share in 2020. And while other automakers are reporting double-digit growth in EV sales, Tesla’s sales continue to drop.
There’s a litany of reasons for this: Musk’s online antics, gaps in the company’s vehicle lineup, and increasing competition. The vast majority of Tesla’s sales — over 90 percent — come from just two models: the Model 3 and Model Y. The Cybertruck, the company’s great stainless steel hope, is extremely polarizing and perennially recalled.
Tesla doesn’t break out its numbers regionally, so it’s impossible to pinpoint the company’s major weaknesses. Registration trackers indicate Europe is a growing problem. But China, Tesla’s most important market, may be looking up thanks to lowered interest rates and new incentives.
It’s looking like it will be a busy summer for Tesla. As it continues to sift through the wreckage of this year’s multiple rounds of layoffs, the company is expected to report its second quarter earnings later this month. And then, on August 8th, there’s the big robotaxi reveal, where Musk will make his most forceful pitch for Tesla’s future as an AI and robotics company.
That may be the future, but the present is still cars.

Photo by John Thys / AFP via Getty Images

On the heels of Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s massive payday, the company released its latest quarterly production and delivery report, showing drops from last year in both production and deliveries.

Tesla reported producing 410,831 vehicles over the three-month period that ended in June, a 14 percent drop compared to the second quarter of 2023. Tesla reported delivering 443,956 vehicles to customers during Q2 of 2024, a 4.76 percent drop from the 466,140 vehicles it delivered in Q2 2023.

This continues a trend that began earlier this year in which Tesla reported its first year-over-year sales drop since 2020. The company is continuing to struggle with demand as customers have more choices than ever when shopping for an electric vehicle. It did turn around last quarter’s sequential drop in deliveries, with an increase of 14.8 percent compared to Q1.

Tesla has also been dealing with some real struggles that have affected its production, like the ramp-up of the newly refreshed Model 3 at its factory in Fremont, California, and shutdowns related to supply chain issues at its Gigafactory in Berlin.

But production woes can’t totally explain the drop in customer deliveries. Tesla’s market share has shrunk as legacy automakers continue to release new models. It’s now hovering at around 50 percent of the market, down from 80 percent share in 2020. And while other automakers are reporting double-digit growth in EV sales, Tesla’s sales continue to drop.

There’s a litany of reasons for this: Musk’s online antics, gaps in the company’s vehicle lineup, and increasing competition. The vast majority of Tesla’s sales — over 90 percent — come from just two models: the Model 3 and Model Y. The Cybertruck, the company’s great stainless steel hope, is extremely polarizing and perennially recalled.

Tesla doesn’t break out its numbers regionally, so it’s impossible to pinpoint the company’s major weaknesses. Registration trackers indicate Europe is a growing problem. But China, Tesla’s most important market, may be looking up thanks to lowered interest rates and new incentives.

It’s looking like it will be a busy summer for Tesla. As it continues to sift through the wreckage of this year’s multiple rounds of layoffs, the company is expected to report its second quarter earnings later this month. And then, on August 8th, there’s the big robotaxi reveal, where Musk will make his most forceful pitch for Tesla’s future as an AI and robotics company.

That may be the future, but the present is still cars.

Read More