Additionally, the article touches on various tech-related news, such as Meta's $25 million settlement with Trump, Mr. Beast's interest in buying TikTok, and Waymo's expansion of its autonomous taxi service. It also mentions the US's plans to use space lasers against hypersonic missiles and the importance of improving space-weather forecasting to protect satellites. The piece concludes with lighter notes, including the internet's fascination with capybaras and a call for readers to vote on the 11th breakthrough technology for 2025.
Key takeaways:
- Elon Musk's team's buyout offer to US federal workers surprised Trump aides, as they were not consulted about the plans.
- Xanadu, a Canadian startup, has developed a scalable quantum computer designed to tackle scientific challenges like drug discovery and energy-efficient machine learning.
- Meta has agreed to pay Trump $25 million to settle a censorship lawsuit from 2021.
- Waymo is expanding its autonomous taxi service to new US cities, including San Diego, Las Vegas, and Miami.