1 year of Twitter under Musk, Cruise pulls all self-driving cars

Elon Musk wrote within hours of buying Twitter that he “didn’t do it because it would be easy”. That statement has proven to be one of the few certainties about his ownership of the influential social media platform, which has tipped the business into a state of constant flux, with advertisers slashing spending, user numbers down, regulators circling and the staff at less than 50% of what it used to be. From dumping a world-renowned brand to attempting to overhaul the company’s business model, Musk has changed Twitter more in the past year than any other executive in the 16 years prior. Guardian

Supply chain problems that plagued the PlayStation 5 for three years have now been resolved, its maker Sony has said. The global chip shortage which began in 2020 impacted industries from car manufacturing to credit cards. Customers were frustrated at month-long waits for the PS5, with some queueing outside shops overnight, and others paying resellers sky-high prices. The shortages steadily resolved through 2023, and Sony said its supply chain is now completely fixed worldwide. That means the console is now not only readily available – but a surplus may lead to retailers competing for the sale. BBC 

The self-driving car company Cruise has pulled all its driverless cars off the roads days after its operations were banned in California. The company, a subsidiary of car making giant General Motors, said it had voluntarily suspended driverless operations because it wanted to “take steps to rebuild public trust”. It is the latest setback for one of the world’s most prominent developers of autonomous vehicle technology. Cruise has faced growing pressure over a litany of incidents in San Francisco, including crashes with emergency vehicles, traffic jams and hitting a pedestrian at low speed. Telegraph

Smack dab in the middle of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Elite X laptop processor unveiling, Apple teased a Mac-focused product reveal for Oct. 30. In a more revealing mood than usual, Apple nodded to Macs being the focus of the event, with a macOS Finder logo hidden in the invitation. But, wait: Didn’t we just get a bunch of new MacBook Pros and Mac desktops earlier this year? Yes, we did. However, Bloomberg just brought our attention to the fact that shipping times for the 24-inch iMac and all three MacBook Pro sizes are longer than usual—a key indicator that replacements are around the corner.  PC Mag

Russia’s new space station will come online in 2027, Vladimir Putin has said. Moscow‘s Roscosmos space agency committed to building its own orbital outpost last year, when it announced its departure from the International Space Station (ISS). Speaking during a visit to a rocket corporation in Korolyov, outside Moscow, Mr Putin said: “As the resources of the ISS run out, we need not just one segment, but the entire station to be brought into service. “And in 2027, the first segment should be placed in orbit.” Sky News 

Instagram Threads could become a billion-person app, Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg has said. The chief executive hit out against predictions that the app was losing steam, saying that it continued to keep its momentum. “Threads also remains a compelling long-term opportunity, and we’re excited to build on the strong product momentum we have going into next year,” the company’s chief financial officer Susan Li said. Meta launched Threads three months ago, as part of an attempt to take over from Twitter. Independent