Tesla chair Robyn Denholm is maintaining radio silence about the corrosive effect of Elon Musk's political activities on the company's electric vehicle sales.

• Why it matters: Denholm's arrival at Tesla in 2018 was seen as a potential stabilizing moment after Musk's tumultuous tussle with U.S. securities regulators.

Driving the news: Faced with questions at a conference in Australia today about whether "she was concerned about Musk's apparent right-wing allegiances, or his opposition to diversity and inclusion initiatives," Denholm "said nothing," Bloomberg reported.

• "Asked if she had a message for Tesla shareholders, she didn't respond," the newswire added.
• Also, "a woman accompanying Denholm as she entered the conference venue said they wouldn't comment or respond to any questions."

The big picture: In contrast to Musk, Denholm largely shuns the spotlight and isn't outwardly political.

• She hasn't posted on X in more than a year and rarely gives interviews.
• Though in her six-plus years as Tesla chair, she has publicly supported Musk on a range of issues, from his use of social media in 2019 to lobbying shareholders to approve the CEO's $56 billion pay package last year.

The intrigue: Denholm has been selling Tesla stock in heaps recently.

• She's sold more than $117 million in shares over the last three months in a pre-approved trading arrangement, Fortune reported three weeks ago.

What they're saying: Denholm and Tesla did not respond to Axios requests for comment.

Go deeper

JPMorgan Chase's payments unit announced a second deal in as many months with a buy-now-pay-later provider.

• Why it matters: It's another sign that the purchase option is becoming more entrenched.

Catch up quick: JPM is making Affirm's BNPL options available at the point of checkout for its network of merchants.

• Customers will be given the payment option when making purchases in the range of $35–$30,000.
• Term lengths range from 30 days to 5 years, with payments due on a biweekly or monthly basis and no late fees or hidden fees.

Flashback: JPM reached a similar deal with Affirm rival Klarna last month.

🥊 State of play: Klarna, which is readying for a U.S. IPO, scored a big win last week inking a deal to become the exclusive BNPL provider for Walmart.

🚙 Waymo plans to expand robotaxi service to Washington, D.C., in 2026. It will be the company's sixth service area. (Axios)

🤖 Alibaba chair Joe Tsai warned about a potential bubble in AI data centers. Investments of several hundred billion dollars aren't "entirely necessary," he argued. (Barron's)

⦿ Samsung Electronics co-CEO Han Jong-Hee died today after suffering a heart attack at age 63. His colleague Jun Young-Hyun will become the sole CEO. (NYT)

You'll have to believe us when we say that not only is Napster still around, someone just bought it for $207 million.

Catch up quick: The platform that pioneered music streaming (before slipping into digital irrelevance) has been acquired by Infinite Reality, a VC-backed metaverse unicorn.

• The buyer's plan is to reimagine Napster as "a social music platform" that prioritizes active fan engagement over passive listening, Axios' Sara Fischer and Dan Primack write.

Between the lines: Brand equity sometimes outlives the underlying business of internet platforms that were once popular with young users. That can prove irresistible to dealmakers.

💭 Nathan's thought bubble: I don't think the kids these days will believe us when we say that streaming music online used to be illegal, but Napster can tell some stories.