Axios

Tesla bull Dan Ives on Tuesday proposed a merger even more colorful than his clothes, when he sketched out a scenario whereby the carmaker could buy xAI.

Why it matters: This could create a viable rival to OpenAI and Big Tech incumbents like Meta and Microsoft, while combining two crown jewels of Elon Musk's empire.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio's voice was mimicked in a string of artificial-intelligence-powered impersonation attempts, multiple outlets reported Tuesday.

Why it matters: The threats from bad actors harnessing quickly evolving voice-cloning technology stretch beyond the typical "grandparent scam," with a string of high-profile incidents targeting or impersonating government officials.

A persistent hacking crew of young men and teenagers is back with a vengeance, wielding a two-year-old playbook to knock U.S. corporate systems offline.

Why it matters: Scattered Spider hasn't had to evolve much to remain effective — a sign of how little corporate cybersecurity defenses have improved.

Ingram Micro, a leading tech supplier for manufacturers and cloud providers, says it's made "important progress" as it recovers from a ransomware attack.

Why it matters: While not a household name, Ingram Micro works with thousands of companies, including major brands like Apple and Microsoft, to distribute hardware, software and other tech services.

Kotaku's sale marks the latest in a slew of gaming site divestitures as publishers struggle to monetize.

Why it matters: That dearth of ad dollars reflects a broader paradox. Gaming commands massive attention but still doesn't attract its fair share of ad investment.

Arbor, a startup that promises both CO2 removal and clean baseload power, just announced $41 million in offtake deals as it courts hyperscalers' growing energy needs.

Why it matters: The contracts for 116,000 tons of CO2 removal between 2028 and 2030, for buyers working through the Frontier consortium, comprise Arbor's biggest deal yet.

Elon Musk's empire isn't exactly crumbling, but it looks increasingly vulnerable as his falling out with President Trump intensifies.

Why it matters: The world's richest person enjoyed ballooning wealth in the early days of his alliance with the president, but their partnership has collapsed after Musk assailed Republican spending plans.

The above chart may explain why your boss is taking longer to get back to you lately: She's got a lot more underlings to watch over.

Driving the news: People managers now oversee about twice as many workers as just five years ago, per a new analysis.

Call it Prime Day, or Black Friday in July, but this week is expected to mark a major moment for summer spending.

Why it matters: Billions of dollars are projected to be spent at Amazon and other retailers that are running competing sales.

Private equity firm TPG completed its $7.6 billion purchase of the 70% stake it didn't already hold in DirecTV from AT&T.

Why it matters: AT&T is officially out of the media game, focused instead on connectivity.

The overly agreeable nature of most artificial intelligence chatbots can be irritating — but it poses more serious problems, too, experts warn.

Why it matters: Sycophancy, the tendency of AI models to adjust their responses to align with users' views, can make ChatGPT and its ilk prioritize flattery over accuracy.