Meta jumps on WhatsApp getting ads for the first time
June 16, 2025
2h
Meta’s WhatsApp is getting ads for the first time — news that sent the stock up 2% in early trading. Meta bought the popular messaging app more than a decade ago but has heretofore kept it ad-free. Now ads will show in the Updates tab of the app to “help” the 1.5 billion people who use that section per day “find channels and products you’re interested in,” Meta said in a press release. Ads will not show in the personal messaging portion of the app, the company said. Meta got about 98% of its revenue from advertising last quarter.
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6/13/25
China drafts auto data rules, potentially a stepping stone toward Tesla’s full self-driving in the country
For the first time, the Chinese government has released draft guidelines for how car data generated there can be “queried, retrieved, downloaded and exported,” Bloomberg reports, saying the move could “pave the way for the wider rollout of Tesla’s most advanced driver-assistance functions in the world’s largest car market.”
Since the team for its so-called full self-driving (FSD) technology is based in the US, a framework for transmitting data is necessary to progress the technology there, Bloomberg says.
Tesla, which has partnered with Baidu in China to process mapping data, rolled out some FSD tools to China earlier this year. The company faces steep competition from local rivals like BYD that already offer plenty of driver assistance features as a standard.
Of course, the term “full self-driving” is still a bit of a misnomer, since the technology currently requires human supervision. Tesla says it plans to offer its first paid driverless robotaxi ride on June 22, so we will soon see if its actual autonomous driving works (with the caveat that there will be remote drivers available).
Still, the China rules are good news for Tesla, as CEO Elon Musk has said he believes scaling autonomous driving is more of a regulatory problem than a technical one.
“Once we can make it work in a few cities in China, we can make it work anywhere in China — likewise in Europe, limited only by regulatory approvals,” Musk said on the company’s latest earnings call.
Since the team for its so-called full self-driving (FSD) technology is based in the US, a framework for transmitting data is necessary to progress the technology there, Bloomberg says.
Tesla, which has partnered with Baidu in China to process mapping data, rolled out some FSD tools to China earlier this year. The company faces steep competition from local rivals like BYD that already offer plenty of driver assistance features as a standard.
Of course, the term “full self-driving” is still a bit of a misnomer, since the technology currently requires human supervision. Tesla says it plans to offer its first paid driverless robotaxi ride on June 22, so we will soon see if its actual autonomous driving works (with the caveat that there will be remote drivers available).
Still, the China rules are good news for Tesla, as CEO Elon Musk has said he believes scaling autonomous driving is more of a regulatory problem than a technical one.
“Once we can make it work in a few cities in China, we can make it work anywhere in China — likewise in Europe, limited only by regulatory approvals,” Musk said on the company’s latest earnings call.
6/13/25
Nearly all of Foxconn’s India-made iPhones are now going to the US, report finds
From March to May, Apple’s manufacturing partner, Foxconn, shipped 97% of the $3.2 billion worth of iPhones it exported from India to the US, up from just 50% last year, according to customs data seen by Reuters. Foxconn, which makes the bulk of Apple’s iPhones, still produces most of those in China.
Apple’s plan has been to move production of US-sold iPhones from China, which had been facing sky-high tariffs (now 55%), to India, where the tariffs are lower (currently 10%) — a move President Trump doesn’t care for but which is happening anyway. Additionally, the president has threatened tariffs of “at least 25%” on smartphones sold in the US but made elsewhere.
Counterpoint Research said it expects India-made iPhones to account for up to 30% of iPhone shipments globally this year, compared to 18% last year.
Apple’s plan has been to move production of US-sold iPhones from China, which had been facing sky-high tariffs (now 55%), to India, where the tariffs are lower (currently 10%) — a move President Trump doesn’t care for but which is happening anyway. Additionally, the president has threatened tariffs of “at least 25%” on smartphones sold in the US but made elsewhere.
Counterpoint Research said it expects India-made iPhones to account for up to 30% of iPhone shipments globally this year, compared to 18% last year.
6/13/25
BYD says it’s beating Tesla in Europe because it offers more models
In an interview with Bloomberg, BYD Executive Vice President Stella Li laid out how the Chinese EV company has been able to pass Tesla in Europe.
BYD outsold Tesla on the continent for the first time earlier this year, as Tesla sales have plummeted there in part due to CEO Elon Musk’s political machinations. Meanwhile, BYD, which says it’s seeing customers switching from premium brands including Tesla, says in “almost every single top auto market [in Europe] BYD performance is outstanding.”
How is the company doing it? “We have more models,” Li said. “It’s just very simple.” Li said the company has seven to nine EV models in the European markets in addition to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, which she says attract “stubborn” people who will only drive gas cars.
Tesla, on the other hand, has far fewer models in total and offers only the S, 3, X, and Y (yes, they spell SEXY) in Europe. Its latest model, the Cybertruck, isn’t yet available there.
How is the company doing it? “We have more models,” Li said. “It’s just very simple.” Li said the company has seven to nine EV models in the European markets in addition to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, which she says attract “stubborn” people who will only drive gas cars.
Tesla, on the other hand, has far fewer models in total and offers only the S, 3, X, and Y (yes, they spell SEXY) in Europe. Its latest model, the Cybertruck, isn’t yet available there.
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