Elon Musk Wades Into the Debate Over Robotaxis Killing Cats. Guess Which Side He’s On

In between trying to become the world’s first trillionaire, expanding his defense contracting business, fighting the “woke mind virus,” feuding with Sam Altman, and overseeing half a dozen tech companies, Elon Musk has somehow found the time to wade into the debate over a tragic incident involving a rogue Waymo robotaxi.

Earlier this week in San Francisco, a beloved bodega cat was reportedly run over and killed by an autonomous vehicle—a fact the company, Waymo, appears to have admitted. The feline, named KitKat but also affectionately known as “the mayor of 16th street,” was a longtime staple of Randa’s Market in the city’s Mission neighborhood.

KitKat’s owner, Mike Zeidan, told The San Francisco Standard that his pet was hit by the robotaxi late Monday night. “Honestly, man, it’s difficult,” Zeidan said. “He was a one-of-a-kind cat. He brought joy to so many people. People loved him.”

Waymo confirmed the incident, stating, “We reviewed this, and while our vehicle was stopped to pick up passengers, a nearby cat darted under our vehicle as it was pulling away.” A company spokesperson added, “We send our deepest sympathies to the cat’s owner and the community who knew and loved him.”

On Friday, Elon Musk weighed in on the conversation by retweeting a post defending driverless cars as a potential savior, not a killer, of neighborhood pets. The original tweet by @WholeMarsBlog highlighted some sobering statistics: “5.4 million cats are hit by cars every year in the U.S., and 97 percent of those cats die from their injuries. Autonomy will dramatically reduce that number.”

Musk added his own comment: “True, many pets will be saved by autonomy.”

It’s commendable that Elon Musk took time out of his busy schedule to engage in the discourse surrounding KitKat’s unfortunate death. Considering Musk’s own ambitions to launch a robotaxi service, it’s clear he has a vested interest in this debate.

However, the truth is that we don’t yet know if autonomous cars will actually reduce the number of feline deaths on the road. The debate continues as technology and public safety evolve hand in hand.
https://gizmodo.com/elon-musk-wades-into-the-debate-over-robotaxis-killing-cats-guess-which-side-hes-on-2000680234

Dogecoin (DOGE) Price: Climbs Following Elon Musk Comment and Thumzup Integration News

**Dogecoin Price Rises 3% Amid Market Recovery; Elon Musk Sparks Renewed Interest**

Dogecoin (DOGE) price increased by approximately 3% on Wednesday, trading near $0.20 following a recent recovery in the broader cryptocurrency market. The overall crypto market capitalization climbed nearly 2%, reaching $3.81 trillion.

During the 24-hour period, Dogecoin’s price touched a high of $0.208, rising from a low of $0.1956. However, trading volume for DOGE fell by 37%, reaching $3.19 billion.

**Elon Musk’s Comments Boost Trader Sentiment**

The price uptick followed comments from Tesla CEO Elon Musk on social media platform X. Musk responded to a post describing Bitcoin’s energy-based model as resistant to government manipulation. When the Dogecoin community account “Sir Doge of the Coin” noted that Dogecoin also operates on an energy-based system, Musk agreed, sparking renewed trader interest.

Musk has been a long-time supporter of Dogecoin since 2019, often referring to himself as the “DOGE FATHER” and calling Dogecoin “the people’s crypto.” His past endorsements, including a notable appearance on *Saturday Night Live* in 2021, have significantly influenced DOGE price movements.

**Thumzup Media Plans to Integrate Dogecoin Payments**

Digital advertising technology company Thumzup Media announced it will explore adding Dogecoin as a payment option within its rewards app. The company aims to use DOGE to pay users who share promotional content from advertisers, potentially reducing transaction costs and enabling faster cross-border payments.

Thumzup CEO Robert Steele stated, “Exploring Dogecoin integration is an important next step in our journey to create a scalable, low-friction rewards engine.” The rollout will be phased, pending technical testing and regulatory approvals.

As of September 30, Thumzup holds approximately 7.5 million DOGE in its treasury. The company also maintains a crypto portfolio including around 19 Bitcoin (BTC), and recently issued a $2.5 million loan to DogeHash to expand Dogecoin mining operations.

Since launching its crypto treasury in January with a $1 million Bitcoin investment, Thumzup’s board has authorized expansion into other cryptocurrencies such as Litecoin, Solana, Ripple, Ether, and USD Coin.

**Price Analysis and Market Outlook**

Despite the recent daily gains, Dogecoin remains down more than 20% over the past week and approximately 24% over the last 30 days, mirroring a broader market selloff.

Data from CoinGlass indicates that Dogecoin futures open interest increased by 1.5% to around $2 billion. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) stood at 43, suggesting that DOGE is nearing oversold territory.

Analyst Ali Martinez emphasized the importance of maintaining support at $0.16, stating that if this level holds, Dogecoin could potentially reach $0.48. Meanwhile, trader Tardigrade offered a more optimistic view, projecting a possible rally up to $0.90, contingent on maintaining the $0.20 support level.

**Market Reaction**

Following the announcement of integrating Dogecoin payments, Thumzup Media’s stock price declined by 5.3%, closing at $5 per share. At the time of the press release, Dogecoin was trading around $0.20.

*Stay tuned for further updates on Dogecoin and other cryptocurrency developments.*
https://coincentral.com/dogecoin-doge-price-climbs-following-elon-musk-comment-and-thumzup-integration-news/

H-1B visa fee hike: Beneficiaries like Musk, Nadella, Pichai silent

**H-1B Visa Fee Hike: Beneficiaries Like Musk, Nadella, Pichai Remain Silent**
*By Dwaipayan Roy | Sep 21, 2025, 06:25 PM*

Silicon Valley’s tech giants, including Elon Musk, Sundar Pichai, and Satya Nadella, have remained notably silent following the announcement of a new $100,000 fee on H-1B visa petitions. The fee hike was introduced by the Trump administration last Saturday, sparking surprise given that some of these leaders, notably Musk, have previously expressed strong opposition to changes in the H-1B visa system.

**Musk’s Previous Stance on H-1B Visa Changes**

Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, has been vocal about the importance of the H-1B visa program. In December, Musk took to X (formerly Twitter) to highlight that many critical contributors to his companies are beneficiaries of the H-1B visa. He went as far as threatening to “go to war” if the system was altered in a way that could harm these professionals.

**Details of the New Rule**

The recent regulation, signed by President Trump, imposes a hefty $100,000 fee on H-1B visa petitions. According to the administration, the goal is to ensure that only “extraordinarily skilled” individuals enter the U.S. workforce, preventing companies from using foreign professionals to replace American workers.

This fee hike predominantly affects Indian professionals, who make up approximately 71% of all H-1B visa holders.

**Clarifications on the Fee**

The administration clarified that this new rule only applies to *new* visa petitions and does not impact existing H-1B visa holders who are re-entering the country. Karoline Leavitt, White House spokesperson, explained on X that “this is NOT an annual fee. It’s a one-time fee that applies only to the petition.”

A petition refers to a company’s request to bring a skilled foreign worker to the U.S. workforce.

The response—or lack thereof—by influential tech leaders continues to draw attention as the industry assesses the impact of this significant policy change on talent acquisition and innovation.
https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/business/h-1b-visa-s-100-000-fee-what-are-silicon-valley-ceos-saying/story

X to have AI-driven feed by November, says Elon Musk

**Next Article X to Have AI-Driven Feed by November, Says Elon Musk**

*By Dwaipayan Roy | Sep 20, 2025, 6:46 PM*

Elon Musk has announced that X will soon feature a completely AI-driven feed. The change is scheduled for implementation by November 2025, aiming to deliver more personalized user timelines that are less influenced by mainstream algorithms or political content.

This significant shift was confirmed when Musk retweeted Nikita Bier, X’s Product Head, who outlined the plans for a more tailored user experience on the platform.

**User Control: Grok to Power Personalized Feeds**

The upcoming changes will provide users with greater control over their X experience, enabling them to customize their feeds according to their interests. This personalization will be powered by Grok, X’s intelligent AI assistant.

Musk stated, “The algorithm will be purely AI by November, with significant progress along the way. We will open source the algorithm every two weeks or so.”

**Platform Evolution: Moving Away from Political Content**

Bier highlighted X’s move away from mainstream algorithmic feeds and politically charged content, explaining, “The goal for your X timeline is to get out of the mainstream algo and the political crusades and find your niche.”

These updates form part of X’s ongoing transition toward AI-driven curation, designed to offer users a more meaningful and customized experience while granting them more control over the content they see.

**AI Advancement: Grok Can Now ‘Read Aloud’ in Human-Like Voice**

In addition to feed enhancements, Musk announced a new feature for Grok. The AI assistant can now “read aloud” responses using a natural, human-like voice.

This update was shared by X user @amXFreeze, whose tweet Musk retweeted, showcasing the improvement.

Stay tuned as X continues to evolve, offering smarter, more personalized social media experiences powered by AI.
https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/science/x-getting-ai-driven-feed-this-november/story

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