Associated Press

News Agency

SpaceX launches 52 Starlink satellites from California base

A SpaceX rocket carried 52 Starlink internet satellites into orbit from California early Saturday. The two-stage Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from coastal Vandenberg Space Force Base at 4:41 a.m. and arced over the Pacific. The Falcon’s first stage returned and landed on a SpaceX droneship in the ocean. It was the 11th launch and […]

Ex-Netflix executive gets prison for accepting tech bribes

A former Netflix executive was sentenced Tuesday to 2 1/2 years in federal prison for taking bribes and kickbacks from tech companies to approve lucrative contracts with the streaming giant. Michael Kail, 52, of Los Gatos also was ordered to forfeit $700,000 and pay a $50,000 fine, the U.S. attorney’s office said in a statement. […]

YouTube star MrBeast rethinks old notions of philanthropy

The line of cars started forming at dawn. It was early November in Greenville, North Carolina, and drivers waited in a line that stretched for miles to pick up Thanksgiving turkeys — 10,000 free frozen birds to anyone who asked. Who was behind this act of holiday kindness? A community foundation, perhaps? Or a food […]

CEO of GM's Cruise autonomous vehicle unit to leave company

Dan Ammann, CEO of General Motors’ Cruise autonomous vehicle subsidiary, is leaving the Detroit company. GM didn’t give a reason in a short statement Thursday but said that Kyle Vogt, president and chief technical officer, would be Cruise’s interim CEO. The leadership change comes just as Cruise is about to start a fully autonomous ride-hailing […]

Harris unveils plan for electric vehicle charging network

The Biden administration released an ambitious federal strategy Monday to build 500,000 charging stations for electric vehicles across the country and bring down the cost of electric cars with the goal of transforming the U.S. auto industry. “The future of transportation in our nation and around the world is electric,” Vice President Kamala Harris said […]

Rivian praises Georgia's education system, resources, talent

Rivian Automotive was attracted to Georgia’s education system, resources and talent when choosing a site for its $5 billion battery and assembly plant, a company official said Thursday as the project was officially announced. The Irvine, California-based electric vehicle manufacturer plans to eventually employ more than 7,500 workers and produce up to 400,000 vehicles a […]

Congress approves import ban targeting forced labor in China

Senators gave final congressional approval Thursday to a bill barring imports from China’s Xinjiang region unless businesses can prove they were produced without forced labor, overcoming initial hesitation from the White House and what supporters said was opposition from corporations. The measure is the latest in a series intensifying U.S. penalties over China’s alleged systemic […]

Asian shares mostly lower after tech-led retreat on Wall St

Shares fell in Asia on Friday after technology companies led Wall Street benchmarks lower as investors weighed the implications of higher interest rates, surging coronavirus cases and tensions between Beijing and Washington. Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai declined, but shares rose in Sydney. U.S. shares dropped a day after the Federal Reserve said it’s preparing to […]

Google smart-city spinoff folding over founder's health

Google parent company Alphabet is folding one of its subsidiaries back into Google as the startup’s founder steps down to confront a neurological disease. Sidewalk Labs CEO Dan Doctoroff said Thursday he’s leaving the company focused on urban planning technology because he “very likely” has ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Sidewalk Labs was […]