xAI’s Grok AI is headed to Tesla vehicles next week — with fiery controversy in tow.
The AI chatbot, launched on Elon Musk’s social platform X, has already sparked backlash for antisemitic tirades, praising Hitler, and making rape threats. Posts have been taken down, but the damage is done.
Now, Grok 4 reportedly pulls answers from Musk’s own X account on hot-button topics like Israel-Palestine, abortion, and immigration. That raises questions about bias and reliability — in a system Elon’s pushing deep into his cars. 
A white hat hacker known as “Green the Only” uncovered that Tesla’s Grok will offer a bizarre menu of personalities: NSFW, argumentative, kids story, sexy, therapist, unhinged, and more. It also requires premium connectivity and ties to the user’s Tesla account.
The move injects a volatile AI into cars, just as Tesla preps robotaxi launches in Arizona and the Bay Area — both facing regulatory hurdles.
Rivian’s spinout Also just raised another $200 million, hitting a $1 billion valuation. Still no product revealed.
Big raises headline the week:
- Finnish e-motor startup Donut Lab landed €25 million led by WithSecure founder Risto Siilasmaa, now on their board
- On-demand economy insurer INSHUR raised $35 million from Trinity Capital, eyeing U.S. expansion
Tesla aims to launch robotaxi service in Metro Phoenix. Musk says Bay Area launch could come "in a month or two," despite no driverless permit filed with California DMV yet. Tesla holds only a testing permit with safety drivers since 2014.
Waymo is expanding robotaxi to teens (14-17) in Phoenix, via parent-verified accounts. They also began “road trips” in New York City and Philadelphia — manually driven for data collection.
New EVs spotlight:
- Mercedes’ CEO Ola Källenius took the all-electric GLC for a test ride
- Subaru will reveal its electric compact crossover July 17
- Volvo shared carbon footprint details of its all-electric ES90, launching production this summer
Rivian’s second-gen quad-motor R1S and R1T landed, priced between $115,990 and $125,990. Our full test drive story digs into the tech behind the flagship EV.
