Axios

Tesla is facing another federal investigation over the safety of its partially autonomous driving technology.

Why it matters: The company has been under scrutiny for years from regulators and watchdogs who say that its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) systems promise more than they can achieve.

Driving the news: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration disclosed that it has identified four reports "in which a Tesla vehicle experienced a crash after entering an area of reduced roadway visibility conditions" with FSD engaged.

• "In these crashes, the reduced roadway visibility arose from conditions such as sun glare, fog, or airborne dust," NHTSA said in a public document.

A new documentary from HR software company Workday and LeBron James-owned production company SpringHill is shining a light on skills-based hiring — the idea that people should be hired based on what they can do, not their formal educational background.

Why it matters: Only 38% of U.S. adults over 25 hold a bachelor's degree, according to the latest census data.

CVS Health on Friday announced the sudden ouster of its CEO Karen Lynch as the company grapples with turmoil that could culminate in the company breaking up.

Why it matters: As the 10th largest company in the world by revenue, CVS is a powerful force in health care and retail with more than 9,000 pharmacies, 1,000+ walk-in clinics and over 300,000 employees.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced Friday that it is investigating Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) software over collision risks.

Why it matters: This is the latest regulator hurdle for Tesla, which has long faced scrutiny over potential safety risks associated with its driver assistance systems, which include its FSD and Autopilot programs.

Worldcoin, the Sam Altman-backed eye-scanning identity company, is dropping the second half of its name as it looks to broaden its already planet-spanning mission.

Driving the news: World, as the company will now be known, looks to focus less on its cryptocurrency roots and more on its effort to ensure humans have a way to verify their identity in a bot-filled world, the company made clear at an event Thursday in San Francisco.

If Vice President Kamala Harris wins the White House, one of her first fights may be over the future of Federal Trade Commission chair Lina Khan.

Why it matters: FTC chairs aren't usually well-known outside the Beltway, but Khan has become a trustbusting hero to progressive Democrats and even some MAGA Republicans like JD Vance.

Elon Musk held his first public event for former President Trump and Mark Cuban campaigned with Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday.

Why it matters: The two billionaires are stepping up to back the candidates they want to win in the final stretch of a 2024 presidential race that's too close to call.

Former President Trump told indicted New York City Mayor Eric Adams "you're gonna win" during a roasting of the Democrat at the Al Smith charity dinner that the Republican presidential nominee headlined on Thursday night.

Context: The first sitting NYC mayor to be criminally charged pleaded not guilty to federal bribery and fraud charges in relation to allegations that Adams denies of accepting illegal campaign contributions and receiving travel perks from Turkish officials and others.

Netflix on Thursday said it added more subscribers than expected, thanks to a 35% growth in membership to its ad-supported tier quarter-over-quarter between July and September.

Why it matters: For now, most of Netflix's growth is still driven by ad-free memberships. But the company expects ad-supported memberships to begin driving most of its growth by 2026.

Tesla's plan to put a can-do-anything-for-you humanoid on the market still looks a long way off.

Why it matters: CEO Elon Musk said last week at the company's "We, Robot" event that the Tesla Optimus humanoid "will be the biggest product ever of any kind."

All is well with AI chip demand.

• Whatever wider fears chip equipment maker ASML triggered Tuesday, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. wiped away today.

Zoom in: The AI-economy bellwether, which fields orders for chip production from the world's tech giants, reported a 36% jump in third-quarter revenue compared with a year earlier, to $23.5 billion. It also hiked its outlook.

• "The demand is real and I believe it's just the beginning," TSMC CEO C.C. Wei told investors about AI. "As one of my key customers said, the demand right now is insane."

Ferrari today debuted its first "supercar" in about a decade: the $3.9 million Ferrari F80.

State of play: The two-seat F80 is the most powerful road car ever to come out of the Ferrari factory, the company said, delivering 1,200 horsepower from a V6 hybrid powertrain.

• It takes its place alongside past Ferrari gems like the 1984 GTO.

By the numbers: The Italian ultra-luxury auto brand will make only 799 units of the F80, with production starting in 2025.

• Sadly, potential buyers have already called dibs on every one of them, per Bloomberg.

💭 Nathan's thought bubble: You could have one Ferrari F80 ... or 219 Nissan Versas for the same price.

Republican nominee Bernie Moreno is leading Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) by 3 percentage points in his campaign's latest internal polling, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Moreno has been closing a significant polling gap since the summer. A win in Ohio would likely eliminate Democrats' chances of keeping the Senate.

Federal authorities have arrested a man in Athens, Alabama who allegedly helped hack the Securities and Exchange Commission's account on X, formerly Twitter, earlier this year.

Why it matters: The arrest is the first indication of who was actually behind the incident, which sent shockwaves through the financial and crypto world.

Google will block election ads across all of its platforms after the last polls close on Nov. 5, according to a memo sent to its advertising partners Thursday and obtained by Axios.

Why it matters: The policy, first introduced during the 2020 election, is meant to prevent misinformation about voting, including candidates prematurely claiming victory before a race is called.

Worldcoin, the identity and cryptocurrency venture co-founded by Sam Altman, is rebranding itself as World (and World Network) to reflect what it says is a broader mission.

Why it matters: World is pitching its technologies as key to helping distinguish bots from humans in an increasingly AI-dominated society.

Harvard University on Thursday reported that it received $525 million in current-use donations during its last fiscal year, the second-most in the school's 388-year history.

Why it matters: Harvard is America's oldest college and the richest, with an endowment valued at $53.2 billion through the end of June.

Amazon Prime Video on Thursday announced its first-ever foray into live news coverage with Election Night Live, a one-night special delivering election results and analysis on Nov. 5.

The big picture: This is a return to news video investments from Big Tech. Tech firms have invested billions in live sports rights to bolster their streaming services, but live news has proved a more elusive customer acquisition tool.

Communicators have a love-hate relationship with press releases — they are aware of how ineffective press releases are but still keep writing and sending them.

Why it matters: As the media landscape evolves, so must these basic communications tactics.

Retail sales rose last month by 0.4% as spending at clothing shops, restaurants and grocery stores jumped, the Commerce Department said on Thursday.

Why it matters: Consumer spending is the bedrock of the U.S. economy. The data suggests that foundation is solid, a good indicator the nation's economic activity is holding up.

Orchestra has acquired Small Girls PR to bring more earned media expertise to the growing public relations firm.

Why it matters: The deal supports brands' demands for communications companies to be full-service, driving agencies to acquire smaller firms, form collectives and consolidate.

Coca-Cola Consolidated made a $25 million investment in its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in West Memphis, Arkansas.

Why it's important: The expansion enables an increase in production from 26 to 29 million cases of product per year.

Here's what's new on Netflix, Peacock, Apple TV+, Prime Video and Max.

What we're watching: A documentary about changing the way companies hire, a series about the "Satanic Panic" and a new season of "Shrinking."