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Illustration: The Verge

Soon, all of the blogs on Tumblr will be hosted on WordPress. Automattic, the parent company of WordPress.com and Tumblr, announced on Wednesday that it will start to move the site’s half a billion blogs to the new WordPress-based backend.
This update shouldn’t affect the way Tumblr works for users, whom Automattic promises won’t notice any difference after the migration. Automattic says the change will make it easier to ship new features across both platforms and let Tumblr run on the stable infrastructure of WordPress.com. (WordPress.com is a private hosting service built on the open-source WordPress content management software.)
“We can build something once and bring it to both WordPress and Tumblr,” the post reads. “Tumblr will benefit from the collective effort that goes into the open source WordPress project.” However, Automattic acknowledges that the move “won’t be easy.” It also doesn’t say when the migration will be complete.
Since acquiring Tumblr in 2019, Automattic has set its sights on revitalizing the once-thriving blogging platform, with mixed results. After running experiments with live video and considering “core experience” changes to attract new users, Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg wrote in a memo that Automattic was reassigning much of the Tumblr team to other projects, saying its long-term goal would be operating Tumblr in “the most smooth and efficient manner.”

Illustration: The Verge

Soon, all of the blogs on Tumblr will be hosted on WordPress. Automattic, the parent company of WordPress.com and Tumblr, announced on Wednesday that it will start to move the site’s half a billion blogs to the new WordPress-based backend.

This update shouldn’t affect the way Tumblr works for users, whom Automattic promises won’t notice any difference after the migration. Automattic says the change will make it easier to ship new features across both platforms and let Tumblr run on the stable infrastructure of WordPress.com. (WordPress.com is a private hosting service built on the open-source WordPress content management software.)

“We can build something once and bring it to both WordPress and Tumblr,” the post reads. “Tumblr will benefit from the collective effort that goes into the open source WordPress project.” However, Automattic acknowledges that the move “won’t be easy.” It also doesn’t say when the migration will be complete.

Since acquiring Tumblr in 2019, Automattic has set its sights on revitalizing the once-thriving blogging platform, with mixed results. After running experiments with live video and considering “core experience” changes to attract new users, Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg wrote in a memo that Automattic was reassigning much of the Tumblr team to other projects, saying its long-term goal would be operating Tumblr in “the most smooth and efficient manner.”

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The rise and fall of NFTs made and unmade OpenSea — the largest marketplace for the crypto asset. But insider accounts of the company reveal a chaotic work environment, ever-shifting priorities, and troubles with the SEC.

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The rise and fall of NFTs made and unmade OpenSea — the largest marketplace for the crypto asset. But insider accounts of the company reveal a chaotic work environment, ever-shifting priorities, and troubles with the SEC.

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Brilliant, maker of smart switches and smart control panels, is back in business. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

Brilliant is back in business. Three months after laying off its staff, shutting down its support center, and ceasing sales, the maker of smart home control panels has reemerged with a new name, new focus, and a new product on the way. The good news for Brilliant customers is that existing products never stopped working during the transition period and will continue to operate going forward.
Now called Brilliant NextGen, the company was bought by two investment firms — Almeida Strategic Investments and Cullinan Holdings — in late July. (No sale price was disclosed.) Earlier this month, they appointed Lisa Petrucci as CEO, Brilliant’s former VP of business development and sales. In the last week or so, the web store came back online, and today, the company is officially announcing its acquisition.

Other than a new name, it’s business as usual for Brilliant customers. “Customer care is up and running; there’s been no change from a customer experience,” Petrucci told The Verge in an interview ahead of the announcement. However, during the transition period, customers couldn’t buy products from the company’s website. While it was possible to find devices at third-party stores such as Amazon, Costco, and Best Buy, Petrucci says that going forward, they will cease direct-to-consumer sales everywhere other than their website.

Image: Brilliant
Brilliant launched in 2016 as a hardwired touchscreen control panel for managing connected devices. Subsequent products included smart dimmer switches, smart plugs, and a plug-in version of the panel. The products run on Brilliant’s software platform, designed to provide a unified smart home experience.

This is part of a new focus for the company to sell primarily to professional builders, developers, and custom integrators rather than individual homeowners. “Our private investors are invested in or own single-family communities and multi-family buildings; these are people that come from the space I’m trying to court,” said Petrucci. “They bought the company because they see themselves being able to use the product in their own investments.”
Petrucci also shared that they are gearing up to launch the next generation of the core controller, which was teased by co-founder and former CEO Aaron Emigh earlier this year. “We are going to start producing that evolved system, which has four times the processing power and an AI processor for edge control,” she said. The new device will have the same form factor with a faster chip and a better screen. Petrucci says they are finalizing whether they will add any new connectivity to the devices, but hope to ship the new version in the next couple of months. The current device works over Wi-Fi. She wouldn’t share pricing details yet.
Petrucci says her focus is also on continuing to evolve their integrations so the product can control more devices in your home. A smart home control device needs to work with as many smart home devices as possible. While Brilliant is compatible with many products, including Ring, Nest, Sonos, Philips Hue, Amazon Alexa, and Samsung SmartThings, the list was far from exhaustive.
This was a significant roadblock to the company’s growth and, according to Emigh, one factor — along with issues such as tariffs and global supply chain stressors — that led to the company running out of money earlier this year.
Today, Emigh, who is no longer involved with Brilliant, told The Verge he’s proud of what Brilliant created and excited about its future. “The re-formed Brilliant, which includes many team members from the original Brilliant, will build on the great work of the original team, and continue to grow Brilliant going forward,” he said. “From the perspective of our customers and partners, it will not have any impact that Brilliant is owned primarily by private equity investors rather than venture capitalists. I’m very happy that Brilliant’s mission will continue!”

Brilliant, maker of smart switches and smart control panels, is back in business. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

Brilliant is back in business. Three months after laying off its staff, shutting down its support center, and ceasing sales, the maker of smart home control panels has reemerged with a new name, new focus, and a new product on the way. The good news for Brilliant customers is that existing products never stopped working during the transition period and will continue to operate going forward.

Now called Brilliant NextGen, the company was bought by two investment firms — Almeida Strategic Investments and Cullinan Holdings — in late July. (No sale price was disclosed.) Earlier this month, they appointed Lisa Petrucci as CEO, Brilliant’s former VP of business development and sales. In the last week or so, the web store came back online, and today, the company is officially announcing its acquisition.

Other than a new name, it’s business as usual for Brilliant customers. “Customer care is up and running; there’s been no change from a customer experience,” Petrucci told The Verge in an interview ahead of the announcement. However, during the transition period, customers couldn’t buy products from the company’s website. While it was possible to find devices at third-party stores such as Amazon, Costco, and Best Buy, Petrucci says that going forward, they will cease direct-to-consumer sales everywhere other than their website.

Image: Brilliant
Brilliant launched in 2016 as a hardwired touchscreen control panel for managing connected devices. Subsequent products included smart dimmer switches, smart plugs, and a plug-in version of the panel. The products run on Brilliant’s software platform, designed to provide a unified smart home experience.

This is part of a new focus for the company to sell primarily to professional builders, developers, and custom integrators rather than individual homeowners. “Our private investors are invested in or own single-family communities and multi-family buildings; these are people that come from the space I’m trying to court,” said Petrucci. “They bought the company because they see themselves being able to use the product in their own investments.”

Petrucci also shared that they are gearing up to launch the next generation of the core controller, which was teased by co-founder and former CEO Aaron Emigh earlier this year. “We are going to start producing that evolved system, which has four times the processing power and an AI processor for edge control,” she said. The new device will have the same form factor with a faster chip and a better screen. Petrucci says they are finalizing whether they will add any new connectivity to the devices, but hope to ship the new version in the next couple of months. The current device works over Wi-Fi. She wouldn’t share pricing details yet.

Petrucci says her focus is also on continuing to evolve their integrations so the product can control more devices in your home. A smart home control device needs to work with as many smart home devices as possible. While Brilliant is compatible with many products, including Ring, Nest, Sonos, Philips Hue, Amazon Alexa, and Samsung SmartThings, the list was far from exhaustive.

This was a significant roadblock to the company’s growth and, according to Emigh, one factor — along with issues such as tariffs and global supply chain stressors — that led to the company running out of money earlier this year.

Today, Emigh, who is no longer involved with Brilliant, told The Verge he’s proud of what Brilliant created and excited about its future. “The re-formed Brilliant, which includes many team members from the original Brilliant, will build on the great work of the original team, and continue to grow Brilliant going forward,” he said. “From the perspective of our customers and partners, it will not have any impact that Brilliant is owned primarily by private equity investors rather than venture capitalists. I’m very happy that Brilliant’s mission will continue!”

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Where to Watch shows you all the sports on ESPN — and elsewhere. | Image: ESPN

ESPN’s newest feature will be a welcome bookmark for sports fans everywhere: the company just launched “Where to Watch,” which aims to be a universal guide for streaming sports all over the internet.
When you open the page on ESPN’s website or in its app, Where to Watch looks like a typical schedule of games, the kind of thing ESPN has had forever — it’s sortable by sport and able to show your favorite team at the top. But next to each listing, it now shows where you can watch the game, even when it’s not on ESPN.
ESPN says Where to Watch has data from more than 250 streaming services. On Wednesday morning, it offered me a baseball game on MLB.TV, a college soccer game on ACC Extra, some MLS on Apple TV Plus, and five different ways to stream a WNBA game. ESPN says that you’ll be able to click some listings to go directly to a game, though that’ll require a separate partnership with those services. You can also set the feature to only show games on services you subscribe to.
Where to Watch is a useful solution to an increasingly common problem: sports streaming is a confusing, convoluted, expensive mess, to the point where even liking a single team can mean managing a laundry list of services. Venu Sports, the collaboration between several large entertainment companies, exists — and is hotly controversial — for exactly the same reason.

Image: ESPN
You can pick and choose all the services you have access to in the guide.

For ESPN, Where to Watch is just another way to get you into its universe. The company has a lot of sports rights, of course, and displays those all over the new guide, but it’s also looking for ways to get more people on its website and app, where they might also decide to play fantasy sports or gamble through ESPN Bet. As the company also pursues its own streaming goals, it’ll need more ways to show people what’s playing and where. Turning ESPN into the app people open whenever they want to watch a game, no matter where that game is, would be a big win for the company.
And the more the ESPN app becomes a destination, the more leverage ESPN has with partners who might want to show their games there. As broadcast and regional sports networks continue to disappear, Jimmy Pitaro, ESPN’s chairman, told Deadline that ESPN intends to take over. “We’ve made that point to various leagues and commissioners that we are very interested in stepping up,” he said. “We can make these games available in the ESPN app.”
Where to Watch doesn’t have all sports and all streamers, but ESPN says it’s working on adding more over time.

Where to Watch shows you all the sports on ESPN — and elsewhere. | Image: ESPN

ESPN’s newest feature will be a welcome bookmark for sports fans everywhere: the company just launched “Where to Watch,” which aims to be a universal guide for streaming sports all over the internet.

When you open the page on ESPN’s website or in its app, Where to Watch looks like a typical schedule of games, the kind of thing ESPN has had forever — it’s sortable by sport and able to show your favorite team at the top. But next to each listing, it now shows where you can watch the game, even when it’s not on ESPN.

ESPN says Where to Watch has data from more than 250 streaming services. On Wednesday morning, it offered me a baseball game on MLB.TV, a college soccer game on ACC Extra, some MLS on Apple TV Plus, and five different ways to stream a WNBA game. ESPN says that you’ll be able to click some listings to go directly to a game, though that’ll require a separate partnership with those services. You can also set the feature to only show games on services you subscribe to.

Where to Watch is a useful solution to an increasingly common problem: sports streaming is a confusing, convoluted, expensive mess, to the point where even liking a single team can mean managing a laundry list of services. Venu Sports, the collaboration between several large entertainment companies, exists — and is hotly controversial — for exactly the same reason.

Image: ESPN
You can pick and choose all the services you have access to in the guide.

For ESPN, Where to Watch is just another way to get you into its universe. The company has a lot of sports rights, of course, and displays those all over the new guide, but it’s also looking for ways to get more people on its website and app, where they might also decide to play fantasy sports or gamble through ESPN Bet. As the company also pursues its own streaming goals, it’ll need more ways to show people what’s playing and where. Turning ESPN into the app people open whenever they want to watch a game, no matter where that game is, would be a big win for the company.

And the more the ESPN app becomes a destination, the more leverage ESPN has with partners who might want to show their games there. As broadcast and regional sports networks continue to disappear, Jimmy Pitaro, ESPN’s chairman, told Deadline that ESPN intends to take over. “We’ve made that point to various leagues and commissioners that we are very interested in stepping up,” he said. “We can make these games available in the ESPN app.”

Where to Watch doesn’t have all sports and all streamers, but ESPN says it’s working on adding more over time.

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Image: Bandai Namco

Blue Protocol, an anime-inspired MMO developed by Bandai Namco, will shut down its Japanese servers on January 18th, 2025. The game was in the process of being released in the West, with publishing handled by Amazon Games. Because of the game’s pending shuttering, its Western release has been summarily canceled.
Blue Protocol’s developers released a statement on the game’s website in Japanese and English announcing the cancellation. “We have worked hard to prepare for the release; however, we have come to the conclusion that it will not be possible to provide a service that satisfies all of you,” read the English statement.
According to producer Sokichi Shimooka, Blue Protocol was in development for eight years before its Japanese release on PC in June 2023. Amazon Games planned to bring Blue Protocol to Western gamers, announcing its partnership with Bandai Namco at the 2022 Game Awards. Blue Protocol would have fit in with Amazon Games’ portfolio, which includes several MMOs like Lost Ark, New World, Throne and Liberty, and an unnamed project set in the Lord of the Rings universe. Amazon is also producing several single-player games, including a new entry in the Tomb Raider franchise and several other unannounced titles.

Image: Bandai Namco

Blue Protocol, an anime-inspired MMO developed by Bandai Namco, will shut down its Japanese servers on January 18th, 2025. The game was in the process of being released in the West, with publishing handled by Amazon Games. Because of the game’s pending shuttering, its Western release has been summarily canceled.

Blue Protocol’s developers released a statement on the game’s website in Japanese and English announcing the cancellation. “We have worked hard to prepare for the release; however, we have come to the conclusion that it will not be possible to provide a service that satisfies all of you,” read the English statement.

According to producer Sokichi Shimooka, Blue Protocol was in development for eight years before its Japanese release on PC in June 2023. Amazon Games planned to bring Blue Protocol to Western gamers, announcing its partnership with Bandai Namco at the 2022 Game Awards. Blue Protocol would have fit in with Amazon Games’ portfolio, which includes several MMOs like Lost Ark, New World, Throne and Liberty, and an unnamed project set in the Lord of the Rings universe. Amazon is also producing several single-player games, including a new entry in the Tomb Raider franchise and several other unannounced titles.

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Illustration: The Verge

Google will soon let Gemini subscribers create custom chatbots that can serve as a gym buddy, cooking partner, writing editor, and more. Users can give the chatbots — called Gems — distinct personalities and specialties by simply describing a set of instructions.
Google first introduced Gems during I/O in May. In an example prompt shown by Google, users can create a “knowledgeable, casual, and friendly” Gem that can help people plan low- or no-water gardens. For users who don’t want to create a custom chatbot right away, Google is offering some premade Gems, including a learning coach, an idea brainstormer, a career guide, a coding partner, and an editor.

GIF: Google
You can give Gems a name and a set of instructions.

Google is rolling out Gems to Gemini Advanced, Gemini Business, and Gemini Enterprise users on mobile and desktop devices in over 150 countries and “most” languages.
Google likely launched Gems to catch up to OpenAI, which started letting users create their own chatbots months ago. OpenAI takes things a step further by letting users share custom GPTs through its store.

Illustration: The Verge

Google will soon let Gemini subscribers create custom chatbots that can serve as a gym buddy, cooking partner, writing editor, and more. Users can give the chatbots — called Gems — distinct personalities and specialties by simply describing a set of instructions.

Google first introduced Gems during I/O in May. In an example prompt shown by Google, users can create a “knowledgeable, casual, and friendly” Gem that can help people plan low- or no-water gardens. For users who don’t want to create a custom chatbot right away, Google is offering some premade Gems, including a learning coach, an idea brainstormer, a career guide, a coding partner, and an editor.

GIF: Google
You can give Gems a name and a set of instructions.

Google is rolling out Gems to Gemini Advanced, Gemini Business, and Gemini Enterprise users on mobile and desktop devices in over 150 countries and “most” languages.

Google likely launched Gems to catch up to OpenAI, which started letting users create their own chatbots months ago. OpenAI takes things a step further by letting users share custom GPTs through its store.

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Google’s Imagen 3 is capable of generating photorealistic images of people. | Image: Imagen 3

Google is letting its users generate images of people through its Gemini AI chatbot again after pulling the feature earlier this year amid reports of historically inaccurate images, like racially diverse Nazis. In an announcement, Google says it will roll out an early access version of the capability to Gemini Advanced, Business, and Enterprise users in English “over the coming days.”
This upgrade will be powered by Imagen 3, the latest version of Google’s AI text-to-image generator. Google quietly launched Imagen 3 through its AI Test Kitchen earlier this month, and now it’s coming to Gemini across all languages. The upgraded tool is capable of generating anything from photorealistic landscapes to textured oil paintings with a description of “just a few words.”

Image: Imagen 3
Imagen 3 is capable of creating a wide range of images.

Google paused Gemini’s ability to generate images of people in February after users found it created historically inaccurate images. The upgraded Imagen 3 model comes with built-in safeguards and “performs favorably compared to other image generation models available,” Dave Citron, Google’s senior director of product management for Gemini, writes in the announcement.
This isn’t to be confused with Google’s new Remagine feature, which lets you incorporate AI elements into the photos shot on the company’s new lineup of Pixel 9 phones.
Additionally, Gemini won’t allow users to create photorealistic images of public figures; content involving minors; or gory, violent, and sexual scenes. “Of course, not every image Gemini creates will be perfect, but we’ll continue to listen to feedback from early access Gemini Advanced users as we keep improving,” Citron adds. Google plans to expand the ability to create AI-generated people to more users and languages soon.

Google’s Imagen 3 is capable of generating photorealistic images of people. | Image: Imagen 3

Google is letting its users generate images of people through its Gemini AI chatbot again after pulling the feature earlier this year amid reports of historically inaccurate images, like racially diverse Nazis. In an announcement, Google says it will roll out an early access version of the capability to Gemini Advanced, Business, and Enterprise users in English “over the coming days.”

This upgrade will be powered by Imagen 3, the latest version of Google’s AI text-to-image generator. Google quietly launched Imagen 3 through its AI Test Kitchen earlier this month, and now it’s coming to Gemini across all languages. The upgraded tool is capable of generating anything from photorealistic landscapes to textured oil paintings with a description of “just a few words.”

Image: Imagen 3
Imagen 3 is capable of creating a wide range of images.

Google paused Gemini’s ability to generate images of people in February after users found it created historically inaccurate images. The upgraded Imagen 3 model comes with built-in safeguards and “performs favorably compared to other image generation models available,” Dave Citron, Google’s senior director of product management for Gemini, writes in the announcement.

This isn’t to be confused with Google’s new Remagine feature, which lets you incorporate AI elements into the photos shot on the company’s new lineup of Pixel 9 phones.

Additionally, Gemini won’t allow users to create photorealistic images of public figures; content involving minors; or gory, violent, and sexual scenes. “Of course, not every image Gemini creates will be perfect, but we’ll continue to listen to feedback from early access Gemini Advanced users as we keep improving,” Citron adds. Google plans to expand the ability to create AI-generated people to more users and languages soon.

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Photo: Getty Images

General Motors and Samsung SDI have finalized a $3.5 billion deal to build an electric vehicle battery plant in Indiana, the South Korean company announced Tuesday. The factory will have an initial capacity of 27GWh, which could go up to 36GWh.
The factory was expected to start production in 2026, but now it is anticipated that batteries won’t start rolling off the line until 2027 at the earliest. Construction at the factory is already underway, The News-Gazette reported.
The deal is a sign that the largest automaker in the US is still committed to scaling up EV production, even as its rivals pull back their investment and cancel models. EV sales are still growing, but some automakers are getting cold feet over their earlier predictions about a much more rapid shift in the industry.
The factory was expected to start production in 2026, but now it is anticipated that batteries won’t start rolling off the line until 2027
The new factory will be located in New Carlisle, Indiana, a small community outside South Bend, on a 680-acre site. It is projected to create over 1,600 jobs when completed. GM and Samsung will receive incentives from the local community in the form of 100 percent tax abatements for 10 years. In exchange, GM said it would pay a $4.5 million infrastructure fee per year for 10 years to cover costs for sewer extensions, road improvements, and new fiber optic cables, according to The Detroit News.
Once completed, the factory will produce nickel-rich prismatic and cylindrical cells, which are distinct from the pouch-style packs currently used by GM’s Ultium battery vehicles.
GM is currently building three other battery factories in the US for a total annual capacity of 140GWh: one in Lordstown, Ohio, which is operational; Spring Hill, Tennessee, which is also in production; and Lansing, Michigan. GM switched to Samsung SDI after a recall of its Chevy Bolt electric vehicles equipped with batteries made by LG that were catching fire.
The plant is part of a host of new EV facilities that are expected to come online in the coming years, partly spurred by tax incentives approved by the Biden administration. Globally, battery production is expected to grow from 95.3GWh in 2020 to 410.5GWh in 2024, according to GlobalData, a data and analytics company.
Ford has said its three battery plants will enable 129GWh a year of production capacity. Volkswagen is building a new gigafactory in Ontario, Canada, in addition to several more around the world for a total capacity of 240GWh. Stellantis is planning a new factory, also in Indiana, which will have an initial annual production capacity of 23GWh. And BMW is aiming to have a new plant in South Carolina with 30GWh of production.

Photo: Getty Images

General Motors and Samsung SDI have finalized a $3.5 billion deal to build an electric vehicle battery plant in Indiana, the South Korean company announced Tuesday. The factory will have an initial capacity of 27GWh, which could go up to 36GWh.

The factory was expected to start production in 2026, but now it is anticipated that batteries won’t start rolling off the line until 2027 at the earliest. Construction at the factory is already underway, The News-Gazette reported.

The deal is a sign that the largest automaker in the US is still committed to scaling up EV production, even as its rivals pull back their investment and cancel models. EV sales are still growing, but some automakers are getting cold feet over their earlier predictions about a much more rapid shift in the industry.

The new factory will be located in New Carlisle, Indiana, a small community outside South Bend, on a 680-acre site. It is projected to create over 1,600 jobs when completed. GM and Samsung will receive incentives from the local community in the form of 100 percent tax abatements for 10 years. In exchange, GM said it would pay a $4.5 million infrastructure fee per year for 10 years to cover costs for sewer extensions, road improvements, and new fiber optic cables, according to The Detroit News.

Once completed, the factory will produce nickel-rich prismatic and cylindrical cells, which are distinct from the pouch-style packs currently used by GM’s Ultium battery vehicles.

GM is currently building three other battery factories in the US for a total annual capacity of 140GWh: one in Lordstown, Ohio, which is operational; Spring Hill, Tennessee, which is also in production; and Lansing, Michigan. GM switched to Samsung SDI after a recall of its Chevy Bolt electric vehicles equipped with batteries made by LG that were catching fire.

The plant is part of a host of new EV facilities that are expected to come online in the coming years, partly spurred by tax incentives approved by the Biden administration. Globally, battery production is expected to grow from 95.3GWh in 2020 to 410.5GWh in 2024, according to GlobalData, a data and analytics company.

Ford has said its three battery plants will enable 129GWh a year of production capacity. Volkswagen is building a new gigafactory in Ontario, Canada, in addition to several more around the world for a total capacity of 240GWh. Stellantis is planning a new factory, also in Indiana, which will have an initial annual production capacity of 23GWh. And BMW is aiming to have a new plant in South Carolina with 30GWh of production.

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Photo: Getty Images

Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath is resigning from his position and will be replaced by Michael Lohscheller, who previously served as CEO of Stellantis-owned carmaker Opel, the automaker announced Tuesday.
The move comes as Polestar has struggled to keep its finances up amid a wider slowdown in EV sales growth. It has gone through several rounds of layoffs and recently saw Volvo drastically reduce its stake in the company. Polestar is expected to report its second quarter earnings on August 29th. The company’s stock is currently selling for less than $1.

Ingenlath has been at the helm since Polestar’s inception in 2017. He oversaw the release of Polestar’s first two models: the $150,000 hybrid Polestar 1 sports coupe and the more mainstream $60,000 Polestar 2 fastback sedan. The Polestar 3, which is an SUV, was released this year and is the company’s first model to be produced in the US.
But Tesla’s price cuts, increasing competition from European automakers, and recurring headaches around charging have led to a softening in EV demand. Polestar said it lost $231 million in the first quarter of 2024, up from $219 million over the same period the previous year.
Polestar’s ties to China — like Volvo, it is owned by Chinese automaker Geely — are also looking increasingly fraught, as the US, EU, and Canada consider new tariffs on EVs imported from the country. Geely is now the company’s main financial backer, and Polestar’s factory is located in Chengdu, China.
“I am very proud of what we’ve achieved together in the last seven years,” Ingenlath said in a statement. “We had the vision of an electric premium brand which puts performance and design at its core. And we made it, the dream became reality.”
Prior to joining Polestar, Ingenlath’s experience was mostly in design. He served as chief exterior designer for Volkswagen before being appointed chief designer at Škoda in 2000. In 2006, he was promoted to director of design at the Volkswagen Design Center in Potsdam.

In an interview on the Decoder podcast earlier this year, Ingenlath spoke about his experience as a designer and how that informed his work as CEO.
“To a certain degree, you have to take that risk of projecting what is going to happen in the future,” he said. “Where is consumer taste going? I had to learn as a designer to be very much on my own — with whatever data you try to prove it with.”
Lohscheller’s appointment marks a shift in focus for Polestar — perhaps away from the minimalist designs that marked Ingenlath’s tenure. In addition to Opel, he has also served as chief executive of VinFast, the buzzy Vietnamese EV company, and Nikola, which is producing hydrogen-powered semi trucks.
“Polestar has experienced an exceptional start-up phase and with a broader model line-up, Michael Lohscheller is the ideal leader to guide Polestar into its next chapter,” Winfried Vahland, Polestar’s incoming chairman, said in a statement. Vahland, who was appointed to Polestar’s board in June, comes to Polestar after serving as chair and CEO of Škoda.

Photo: Getty Images

Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath is resigning from his position and will be replaced by Michael Lohscheller, who previously served as CEO of Stellantis-owned carmaker Opel, the automaker announced Tuesday.

The move comes as Polestar has struggled to keep its finances up amid a wider slowdown in EV sales growth. It has gone through several rounds of layoffs and recently saw Volvo drastically reduce its stake in the company. Polestar is expected to report its second quarter earnings on August 29th. The company’s stock is currently selling for less than $1.

Ingenlath has been at the helm since Polestar’s inception in 2017. He oversaw the release of Polestar’s first two models: the $150,000 hybrid Polestar 1 sports coupe and the more mainstream $60,000 Polestar 2 fastback sedan. The Polestar 3, which is an SUV, was released this year and is the company’s first model to be produced in the US.

But Tesla’s price cuts, increasing competition from European automakers, and recurring headaches around charging have led to a softening in EV demand. Polestar said it lost $231 million in the first quarter of 2024, up from $219 million over the same period the previous year.

Polestar’s ties to China — like Volvo, it is owned by Chinese automaker Geely — are also looking increasingly fraught, as the US, EU, and Canada consider new tariffs on EVs imported from the country. Geely is now the company’s main financial backer, and Polestar’s factory is located in Chengdu, China.

“I am very proud of what we’ve achieved together in the last seven years,” Ingenlath said in a statement. “We had the vision of an electric premium brand which puts performance and design at its core. And we made it, the dream became reality.”

Prior to joining Polestar, Ingenlath’s experience was mostly in design. He served as chief exterior designer for Volkswagen before being appointed chief designer at Škoda in 2000. In 2006, he was promoted to director of design at the Volkswagen Design Center in Potsdam.

In an interview on the Decoder podcast earlier this year, Ingenlath spoke about his experience as a designer and how that informed his work as CEO.

“To a certain degree, you have to take that risk of projecting what is going to happen in the future,” he said. “Where is consumer taste going? I had to learn as a designer to be very much on my own — with whatever data you try to prove it with.”

Lohscheller’s appointment marks a shift in focus for Polestar — perhaps away from the minimalist designs that marked Ingenlath’s tenure. In addition to Opel, he has also served as chief executive of VinFast, the buzzy Vietnamese EV company, and Nikola, which is producing hydrogen-powered semi trucks.

“Polestar has experienced an exceptional start-up phase and with a broader model line-up, Michael Lohscheller is the ideal leader to guide Polestar into its next chapter,” Winfried Vahland, Polestar’s incoming chairman, said in a statement. Vahland, who was appointed to Polestar’s board in June, comes to Polestar after serving as chair and CEO of Škoda.

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Photo: Joe Raedle / Getty Images

The first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket crashed during an attempted landing on a droneship in the Atlantic Ocean last night. The booster had nearly completed its touchdown when it tipped over, dropping into the sea.
It was the first time the company has failed to recover one of the reusable boosters since February 2021, ending a streak of 267 successful landings for the reusable boosters, according to CBS News.
SpaceX posted about the failed mission at 4:04AM ET, writing that the booster “tipped over following touchdown” on what was its 23rd launch. The second stage succeeded in putting a batch of 21 Starlink satellites in orbit, however, 13 of which carry the company’s cellular transmission capability.

After a successful ascent, Falcon 9’s first stage booster tipped over following touchdown on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship. Teams are assessing the booster’s flight data and status. This was the booster’s 23rd launch.— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 28, 2024

SpaceX had planned for back-to-back launches this morning but postponed the second one in order to review data from the botched landing. The setback follows another in July when the Federal Aviation Administration temporarily grounded the Falcon 9 when a second-stage exploded in July.
Before this morning’s launch, SpaceX had delayed Polaris Dawn, a mission to send four astronauts through the Van Allen radiation belts and attempt the first private astronaut spacewalk. The company cited a poor weather forecast as the reason for the scrubbed launch.

Photo: Joe Raedle / Getty Images

The first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket crashed during an attempted landing on a droneship in the Atlantic Ocean last night. The booster had nearly completed its touchdown when it tipped over, dropping into the sea.

It was the first time the company has failed to recover one of the reusable boosters since February 2021, ending a streak of 267 successful landings for the reusable boosters, according to CBS News.

SpaceX posted about the failed mission at 4:04AM ET, writing that the booster “tipped over following touchdown” on what was its 23rd launch. The second stage succeeded in putting a batch of 21 Starlink satellites in orbit, however, 13 of which carry the company’s cellular transmission capability.

SpaceX had planned for back-to-back launches this morning but postponed the second one in order to review data from the botched landing. The setback follows another in July when the Federal Aviation Administration temporarily grounded the Falcon 9 when a second-stage exploded in July.

Before this morning’s launch, SpaceX had delayed Polaris Dawn, a mission to send four astronauts through the Van Allen radiation belts and attempt the first private astronaut spacewalk. The company cited a poor weather forecast as the reason for the scrubbed launch.

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