Tesla's ad spend on X has shrunk to almost nothing

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this afternoon

View this email online in your browser  September 05, 2025 TechCrunch Top 3 Tesla's ad spend on X has shrunk to almost nothing: Tesla spent a fraction on X in early 2025 compared to 2024. It also paid $300,000 to Kimbal Musk's drone company. Read More Google Gemini dubbed 'high risk' for kids and teens in new safety assessment: Google's Gemini comes up short on kids' safety, says Common Sense Media. Read More A timeline of the US semiconductor market in 2025: From leadership changes at legacy semiconductor companies to wishy washy policy around chip exports, a lot has happened already. Read More A message from Snapdragon Get high-performing PCs at every price point Equip your entire team with ultra-responsive PCs powered by Snapdragon X Series processors, offering the same NPU performance, seamless connectivity, and AI-enhanced tools across the entire Snapdragon X Series platform. Whether you're an executive or a creative professional, these devices allow you to choose the right PC at the right price point and ensure your team stays productive and efficient. Learn more Afternoon Must-Reads Scale AI's former CTO launches AI agent that could solve big data's biggest problem: Isotopes, co-founded by Arun Murthy, launched a sophisticated analytics agent. Arun was one of the creators of Hadoop who later joined Scale AI. Read More Personalized AI companion app Dot is shutting down: Dot, a personalized AI companion, is shutting down. Read More OpenAI hires the team behind Xcode coding assistant Alex: The team behind Alex, which built a popular tool that let devs use AI models within Apple's development suite Xcode, is joining OpenAI. Read More Tesla proposes new pay package for Elon Musk worth up to $1T: Tesla has proposed a new 10-year compensation plan for CEO Elon Musk that could be worth as much as $1 trillion even as the EV maker's car business stumbles and it sets its sights on humanoid robotics and AI. Read More Tesla shareholders to vote on investing in Musk's AI startup xAI: A shareholder proposal would allow Tesla to invest in Elon Musk's rival AI firm, xAI if approved. Tesla's board didn't recommend one way or another. Read More A message from TechCrunch Events Last day to book your Disrupt 2025 exhibit table Get your brand in front of 10,000+ tech and VC leaders at Disrupt 2025 on October 27-29 in San Francisco. Drive visibility, snag high-impact leads, make potential VC connections, and showcase your company at the forefront of innovation. Secure your exhibit space today before the deadline or before a competitor claims your spot. Book Now Be the first to know when news breaks Subscribe to our News Alerts, and you won't miss a thing. Breaking news, exclusives, and special reports—straight to your inbox. Sign up for News Alerts! Last but Not Least Snapchat's new Lens lets you create AI images using text prompts: While Snapchat already has numerous generative AI Lenses, the company notes that Imagine Lens is its first open prompt image-generation Lens. Read More Check out some of our other newsletters: StrictlyVC TechCrunch Events TechCrunch Mobility Want to adjust your daily newsletter schedule? You can do it right here Got a tip? Get in touch securely. Want to advertise on TechCrunch? advertise@techcrunch.com Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter. Unsubscribe Member Center Privacy Policy Copyright © 2025 TechCrunch Media LLC 501 2nd Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, CA 94107