Elon Musk, a tech tycoon, responded to a tweet asserting that X is currently the top news app in India’s App Store. Online responses to his one-word reply have been mixed. DogeDesigner was the first X user to share the post.
The user submitted a video with the Indian flag and said, “BREAKING: X is now the #1 news app on the App Store in India.” Musk posted it again with a brief remark. All he wrote was “Cool”. That little answer was sufficient to elicit a variety of responses.
Some users used the occasion to voice their disapproval, while others rejoiced in the platform’s success in India. “Mom said stop wasting time on X… now I tell her I’m watching the news,” one person commented.
“X should be geo-blocked in India,” another person added. “Whoa! Elon Musk appears to be very composed as he simply responded, “Cool.” Someone said, “X’s ranking as the top news app in the Indian App Store is truly amazing.”
xAI Acquires X
Musk’s artificial intelligence establishment, xAI, revealed in March that it had paid $33 billion to purchase X. Two of Musk’s most important businesses, X and xAI, were combined in the all-stock transaction.
Musk claims that the objective is to pool their teams, data, models, and processing power in order to assist in the training and enhancement of his AI chatbot, Grok. In a post on X, Musk revealed the terms of the deal, stating that the combination values X at $33 billion ($45 billion less $12 billion in debt) and xAI at $80 billion.
The fates of xAI and X are interwoven. The brand formally took the step today to integrate talent, distribution, computation, models, and data. In 2022, the Tesla owner initially purchased X, which was then known as Twitter.
The corporation went private with the $44 billion deal. He laid off a significant number of employees following the takeover, which caused a precipitous decline in ad income and the departure of several major sponsors.
But as Musk’s power within the Trump administration increases, several companies have recently begun to make a comeback.
Musk Rising High in Trump’s Era
Musk is the head of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Additionally, this has placed him in a position to potentially influence the organisations that monitor his business activities.
According to a media report, the seven banks that gave Musk $13 billion in loans to purchase X held onto the debt for two years before being able to sell it all at once in February.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently dialed up the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Elon Musk. Modi brought back the main subjects the two had discussed earlier this year in a meeting in Washington DC. The conversation centered largely around the idea of moving US-India collaboration forward, in particular, in sectors that are very much on the cutting edge these days: electric mobility, renewable energy, and space.
India is fully committed to partnership of the kind that pushes technological frontiers. That was the message Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered to Elon Musk during the video call. The call’s timing was significant, since Musk’s companies are making visible moves toward entering the Indian market.
Tesla’s Manufacturing Prospects
The ongoing talks over several months with Tesla about establishing a U.S. manufacturing base for electric vehicles in India have reportedly progressed to the stage where the company is exploring options for local production. The firm’s interest is likely driven not only by the India EV market’s growth but also by the prospect of addressing a regional Asian market that could easily dwarf the U.S. or Europe in terms of scale. An assembly facility in India would be in closer proximity to both potential markets.
Even though concrete details are still secret, the government’s electric vehicle promulgation and production promotion policies, under such schemes as FAME II and PLI, have made India a very inviting place for Tesla to setup shop.
Starlink’s Satellite Internet and Regulatory Hurdles
The dialogue between the Prime Minister and Musk also coincides with a critical moment for Starlink, the satellite internet arm of SpaceX. Starlink is allied with Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, two major telecom companies, to provide broadband service to underserved regions all over India. But the service can’t be turned on yet for most of those areas, because the space-based internet has not received security clearance from the government.
Although services supported by the Bharti Group (via Eutelsat OneWeb) and Jio Satellite Communications have been granted licenses, they haven’t begun operating because spectrum policies aren’t set yet. Starlink, with its 6,750-plus satellites, could disrupt this space.
Diplomacy, Books, and Bilateral Hopes
This renewed interaction emphasizes a larger global political backdrop. India and the US are moving toward the conclusion of the first phase of their bilateral trade deal, due this fall. Working together on technology is central to the negotiations, which reflect India’s strategy of using international partnerships to provide dual economic and strategic benefits.
A personal gesture during a previous meeting saw PM Modi gifting Musk’s children Indian literary classics. Works by Rabindranath Tagore and RK Narayan were among the literary selections the PM made for Musk’s family. The exchange was one of diplomatic goodwill.
A spat has broken out between Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s trade adviser, Peter Navarro, after Navarro questioned the company’s actual American manufacturing role. In a recent interview discussing the administration’s sweeping tariff policy, Navarro downplayed Tesla’s operations, calling the firm more of an assembler than a true manufacturer.
Musk, who was associated with the Trump administration through his position at the Department of Government Efficiency, utilized his social media outlet X to challenge the assertions made by Navarro. “Navarro is truly a moron. What he says here is demonstrably false… Tesla has the most American-made cars. Navarro is dumber than a sack of bricks,” Musk posted on X. Using information from Kelley Blue Book and Cars.com, he contended that not only does Tesla lead the auto industry in parts sourced from within the U.S., it is also by far the most “vertically integrated” car company in the country.
Tesla’s Position on Trade Policy
For a long time, skepticism has been Musk’s attitude toward trade barriers. He had even before this current exchange posted videos that promoted free-market economist Milton Friedman, suggesting a few at least in Trump’s inner circle might have a philosophical opposition to tariffs. Musk’s public rebuke of Navarro marks a rare and open disagreement within Trump’s inner circle.
Tesla’s operations are not as exposed as other automakers to tariffs, but Musk acknowledges that current trade disruptions could still hit supply chains hard. In a recent post, he pointed out that Tesla, despite its considerable U.S. footprint, was not impervious to the global economic winds that aggressive trade policy can whip up.
Industry Voices Join the Chorus
Musk isn’t the only one ripping the administration’s approach. Top fund manager Bill Ackman has come out against the new tariffs, warning about the unnecessary economic harm they’re likely to do. Meanwhile, Yale professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld has noted that a lot of business leaders share Musk’s criticisms. Sonnenfeld recently conducted an executive survey in which a vast majority of respondents admitted to feeling embarrassed by U.S. trade policy. Not surprisingly, these same execs feared the economic fallout.
Technology analyst Dan Ives said that though Tesla is strong in domestic content, it still depends a lot on international suppliers. These come especially from China but also from other parts of the world. That makes the company very susceptible to U.S.’s trade tensions with China. Ives is worried that if new tariffs come into play, they might unravel Tesla’s global advantage over its fast-rising competitors, which include BYD.
Broader Implications for U.S. Manufacturing
Navarro’s insistence that America is only putting together foreign components drives home the point that the administration is hellbent on reshoring production. His insistence aligns well with the broader Trump’s agenda of obsessively reviving domestic manufacturing through tariffs.
Critics contend that this risk of causing a recession makes the new approach ill-advised. By raising prices with tariffs, companies across sectors may be squeezed by increased costs and pass them along to consumers and businesses, which could in turn cause the economy to slow down. As the Musk-Navarro spat plays out in public, it really does highlight a significant and growing divide between the innovative processes of places like Silicon Valley and the protectionist policies that seem to be coming out of Washington.
Politico and other media sites were criticised by Elon Musk and the White House on 2 April for claiming that the billionaire would “step down” as director of the Department of Government Efficiency. President Donald Trump reportedly “informed his inner circle” that his special adviser would resign from all federal positions. ‘This story’ is garbage, said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt in response to a tweet about the Politico revelation. Both President Trump and Elon Musk have said in public that after his amazing work at DOGE is finished, Elon will leave public service as a special government employee.
Politico’s Report
Trump informed close associates and members of his Cabinet earlier in the day that Musk will shortly leave his position in the administration, according to Politico. In recent days, the president and his wealthy buddy agreed that the latter would resume his commercial ventures, the publication reported. This follows a precipitous decline in the value of Tesla’s stock, which is led by Musk. According to Donald Trump, Musk has “been amazing,” but he has a large company to manage, Trump told reporters on March 31. Additionally, he will eventually return. He desires to, added Trump.
Critics Calling Musk Co-President
Since the beginning, there has been uncertainty over Musk’s ability to sustain his exceptional status. This status has allowed him to become so close to Trump that critics have dubbed him the ‘co-president’. The so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has been leading an ideologically motivated crusade for two months under the direction of Musk. According to an international news agency, Musk has caused widespread worry by destroying US scientific research and international aid programmes virtually overnight. Trump has assigned the CEO of Tesla to spearhead initiatives to restructure the federal bureaucracy and reduce government spending through the Department of Government Efficiency. Musk’s tenure as a special government employee would expire at the end of May, assuming a 130-day term. Last week, he told the media that he was sure he would do the majority of the work needed to reduce federal expenditure by $1 trillion.
Musk has been under fire since assuming the position in January for his vigorous efforts to reduce federal expenditure and abolish government employment. This moves he claims are essential to reorganising Washington. Under Musk’s leadership, the DOGE initiative has already implemented significant staff and contract cutbacks. Apart from that, reports further indicate that his initiatives are aimed at saving federal spending by $1 trillion.
Grok, an advanced AI developed by Elon Musk’s company xAI, has quickly become a major player in the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence. Powered by cutting-edge technology and designed to tackle questions of deep significance—from the search for extraterrestrial life to the meaning of existence itself—Grok aims to push the boundaries of what AI can achieve. With its advanced reasoning abilities, real-time search capabilities, and nuanced understanding, Grok provides answers that go beyond simple responses, offering insights drawn from the latest information available.
However, Grok’s journey has not been without challenges. Since its early releases, including the much-discussed Grok-2 beta, it has faced criticism over the ethical implications of its capabilities, particularly when it comes to image generation. Users were quick to test the limits of the platform, generating everything from deepfakes to inappropriate content, raising concerns about the lack of safeguards in place. At the same time, Grok’s open approach, driven by Musk’s philosophy of free speech and innovation, has sparked debates about the fine line between allowing creativity and protecting users from harmful or misleading content. As Grok continues to evolve, finding a healthy balance between these competing priorities will be key to its long-term success.
Read this article to learn more about Grok, Its founders, revenue model, business model, challenges, and future plans.
Elon Musk’s xAI unveiled its AI chatbot, Grok, in 2023—a tool built on a language model that not only thinks but also jokes around, and it even connects directly to X (the platform formerly known as Twitter). This move comes from Musk’s long involvement in the AI world; after co-founding OpenAI with Sam Altman in 2015 and stepping away in 2018 over creative differences, he has continued to explore new frontiers. While OpenAI later introduced ChatGPT in 2022 and GPT-4 in March 2023, Musk’s team pushed ahead with their own innovation. On February 17, 2025, xAI launched Grok-3, a significantly beefed-up version of its predecessor that was trained using 10 times the computing power, courtesy of the massive Colossus data center housing roughly 200,000 GPUs.
Grok – Industry
Forecasted Artificial Intelligence Market Size
The AI industry is booming, with forecasts suggesting it could be worth over $1.8 trillion by 2030. In this rapidly expanding field, chatbots are making a notable mark on their own. Experts predict that the chatbot market could top $29 billion by 2032, and some estimates even see it reaching around $31.11 billion by 2029, growing at an annual rate of 29.3%.
To put things in perspective, the market was valued at about $11.14 billion in 2025, and with historical trends from 2019 to 2024 serving as a foundation, projections for 2034 are equally impressive. Whether you’re considering the entire AI sector or focusing specifically on chatbots, the growth trajectory points to an exciting future.
Grok – Founders and Team
Elon Musk – Founder, Grok
Elon Musk, born on June 28, 1971, is often in the spotlight for his leadership roles in companies like Tesla, SpaceX, and X (formerly Twitter), which he took ownership of in 2022. Since 2025, he’s also served as a senior advisor to President Donald Trump and runs the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk’s early education took him through several schools in South Africa, including Waterkloof House, Bryanston High, and Pretoria Boys High, where his academic performance was solid but average—scoring 61 in Afrikaans and a B on his senior math exam.
To avoid being drafted into South Africa’s military service under its apartheid system and to simplify his move to the U.S., Musk applied for Canadian citizenship through his mother, who was born there. While waiting for his passport, he briefly studied at the University of Pretoria. In 1989, he moved to Canada, connected with relatives in Saskatchewan, and worked odd jobs before enrolling at Queen’s University in Ontario the following year. Two years later, he transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, where he completed two degrees by 1997—one in physics and one in economics from the prestigious Wharton School. To pay for college, Musk hosted big house parties with entry fees and even sketched out a business plan for an electronic book-scanning service somewhat like the future Google Books.
Elon Musk helped launch OpenAI with Sam Altman back in 2015, though he left the board in 2018, saying he didn’t quite agree with the team’s direction. Since then, OpenAI has made waves by releasing ChatGPT in 2022 and GPT-4 in March 2023. Around that time, Musk joined others in signing an open letter urging a six-month pause on developing any AI more powerful than GPT-4. In April 2023, during an appearance on Tucker Carlson Tonight, he revealed plans for an AI chatbot called TruthGPT—a tool he described as a “maximum truth-seeking AI” aimed at uncovering the universe’s secrets, while also expressing concern that ChatGPT was being steered toward political correctness.
This project eventually evolved into what’s now known as Grok, borrowing a term from Robert A. Heinlein’s 1961 sci-fi novel to suggest a deep, intuitive understanding. By November 2023, xAI had started giving a select group of users a preview of Grok, initially limiting early access to those with paid X Premium accounts, with plans to make it exclusive to higher-tier X Premium+ subscribers once it fully launched.
Grok, the AI created by Elon Musk’s xAI, is driven by a mission to push the boundaries of understanding the universe. Its core aim is to seek truth by analyzing vast amounts of information and applying advanced reasoning to answer profound questions like “Where are the aliens?” and “What is the meaning of life?” With powerful tools like real-time data search and analysis, Grok endeavors to provide users with accurate and thoughtful responses that go beyond surface-level knowledge, always striving for deeper insights.
Vision
Grok envisions itself as an AI that offers meaningful guidance and deep comprehension of complex topics across a wide variety of fields. Its vision includes serving as a sophisticated research assistant that can provide real-time access to up-to-date information and deliver insights drawn from a wealth of data. By focusing on truth-seeking and delivering nuanced answers, Grok aims to help users navigate the complexities of reality and tackle ambitious questions that are often difficult for AI to address.
It aims to provide a dynamic platform where real-time access meets deep comprehension, offering users not just facts, but nuanced insights that reflect the multifaceted nature of reality. By acting as a bridge to the latest information and fostering a profound grasp of intricate subjects, Grok hopes to empower curious minds across various fields.
Grok – Name, Tagline and Logo
Grok 3 Logo
The official launch of Grok 3, dubbed the smartest AI in hours since its unveiling, was accompanied by the release of its new logo. Elon Musk revealed this intriguing new brand identity, featuring a striking image of a black hole, which looks as though it could have been generated by AI itself. Centered on the black hole, the logo is complemented with the tagline, “To Understand,” symbolizing the AI’s core principle.
The visual also showcases a silhouette of a person standing on a mountain peak, with the ethereal white clouds filling the backdrop. Musk also shared the origin of the AI’s name, explaining that “Grok” comes from Robert Heinlein’s 1961 sci-fi novel, Stranger in a Strange Land. In the book, the term “grok” is used to describe a deep, intuitive understanding—one that goes beyond surface-level knowledge. Musk highlighted that the term embodies not just the idea of understanding, but also of empathy, reinforcing the philosophy behind Grok’s design to understand the complex nature of the universe.
Grok – Business Model
Grok 3’s business model revolves around competition and expansion by providing an advanced generative AI chatbot capable of outperforming many top industry models in math, science, and coding. Positioned to rival AI giants like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and DeepSeek, this cutting-edge model blends advanced reasoning and real-time search capabilities, allowing Grok 3 to answer complex questions, retrieve live data, and offer contextually insightful responses. xAI’s business strategy relies on building massive data centers with innovative hardware to further advance models like Grok, reinforcing their conviction that AI’s potential to reshape various aspects of life is worth massive investments. Grok 3, trained with 200,000 Nvidia H100 GPUs, leads the charge in terms of speed and scalability, showcased by its lightning-fast 92-day development of Colossus, a supercomputer capable of powering Grok’s complex algorithms.
xAI is positioning itself at the cutting edge of AI innovation by leveraging Grok 3’s remarkable capabilities. The company has built Grok 3 to outshine other leading models in complex areas like math, science, and coding by employing advanced reasoning and real-time search features. Under the hood, Grok 3 was trained on 200,000 Nvidia H100 GPUs—a tenfold jump in computing power from its predecessor—and scaled on a supercomputer called Colossus in just 92 days. This aggressive push in high-performance hardware and rapid scalability not only sets xAI apart from competitors like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude but also underscores its broader ambition to drive the evolution toward artificial general intelligence.
On the revenue side, xAI is rolling out a tiered subscription model for Grok 3. The new chatbot is initially available to Premium+ subscribers via Musk’s social media platform X and Grok.com, with plans to eventually introduce an even more exclusive SuperGrok tier. This approach allows xAI to monetize the model by offering early and enhanced access to its advanced features, while also fueling continued investment in research and development. By tailoring the user experience with different subscription levels, xAI aims to capture value in a rapidly growing market, ensuring that both everyday users and power users can benefit from Grok 3’s breakthrough capabilities.
Additionally, Grok 3 offers a wide array of services, ranging from answering questions and brainstorming ideas to code generation, research assistance, and game development. With unique capabilities—such as advanced reasoning, real-time web search via DeepSearch, and upcoming voice-enabled interactions—the goal is to provide unparalleled value across different sectors, all while further monetizing through new features and deeper access for higher-tier subscribers.
Grok – Challenges Faced
Weak Content Safeguards
In its beta release for premium X users, Grok-2’s image generation feature quickly attracted criticism due to its lack of robust safety measures. Users discovered that, unlike some competitors, Grok-2 could be easily manipulated to create deepfakes—ranging from outrageous mashups like Donald Trump marrying Taylor Swift to controversial depictions of popular cartoon characters. The model even generated violent, pornographic, and copyright-infringing images, such as Mickey Mouse amidst a nuclear explosion or Pikachu wielding an AK-47. These incidents have highlighted serious concerns about ethical misuse and the urgent need for stronger content guardrails.
The Balance Between Openness and Control
Grok faces a broader dilemma common among public AI systems: striking the right balance between being unrestrictive and maintaining responsible oversight. While a less restricted approach aligns with Elon Musk’s free-speech philosophy and fuels innovation, it also risks producing harmful or misleading content. Overly lax controls have led to the creation of controversial fakes that can damage public trust, yet too much restriction may dampen user engagement and stifle creative potential. Without effective self-regulation and clear industry standards, this tension could undermine confidence not only in Grok but also in the wider realm of analytical and predictive AI.
Grok – Competitors
Grok faces stiff competition from other leading AI models like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and DeepSeek, all striving for advancements in language, reasoning, and real-time search capabilities.
They are pushing the limits of AI with cutting-edge reasoning, real-time search, and innovative conversational capabilities.
The launch of Grok 3 has sent shockwaves through the AI industry, drastically increasing web traffic and mobile downloads as users flock to experience its advanced reasoning abilities. Surpassing competitors like DeepSeek and challenging OpenAI’s offerings, Grok 3 positions itself as a formidable player in AI. Businesses can access this game-changing platform through the X Premium+ subscription, priced at $40 monthly, with plans for a standalone “SuperGrok” subscription soon. Grok 3 is not stopping at its initial success; with upcoming features such as voice interaction and multimodal capabilities, it is set to evolve further, processing images, code, and audio seamlessly.
Building for the Future
To accommodate these exciting advancements, xAI is expanding its infrastructure with the “Colossus” supercomputer cluster in Memphis, Tennessee—touted as the largest of its kind. These expansions are key to solidifying Grok 3’s reputation as an unparalleled leader in speed, accuracy, and performance, ensuring that it remains at the forefront of the AI race as it scales and innovates at an impressive pace.
FAQs
What is Grok?
Grok is an AI chatbot developed by xAI, a company founded by Elon Musk. It is designed to provide conversational responses, answer questions, and generate content. Grok is integrated into X (formerly Twitter) and is meant to be more witty and rebellious compared to other AI chatbots.
When was Grok founded?
Grok was launched in November 2023 by xAI, a company founded by Elon Musk in July 2023.
Is Grok AI better than ChatGPT?
Grok 3 excels in real-time research and open-ended discussions, while ChatGPT is more effective in structured problem-solving and logical analysis.
Elon Musk has welcomed his 14th child, Seldon Lycurgus with partner Shivon Zilis.
Zilis announced the news on X, showing her affection for thier 4th child.
The expanded family is receiving tons of public interest from social media.
Elon Musk is a tech billionaire, and businessman known for his key roles in Tesla, Inc., SpaceX, and Twitter (rebranded as X). He welcomes his 14th child, a son named Seldon Lycurgus, and his fourth kid with Shivon Zilis. This announcement follows their previous children, twins Strider & Azure, and a daughter, Arcadia. ). Since 2025, Elon Musk has been a senior advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump and de facto head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk is the wealthiest person in the world; as of February 2025, Forbes estimated his net worth to be US$ 353 billion.
Musk’s partner, Zilis announced this news in a post on X on Friday. While she did not mention his birth date, she just shared her excitement over their new arrival.
She wrote, ” Discussed with Elon and in light of beautiful Arcadia’s birthday we felt it was better to also just share directly about our incredible son Seldon Lycurgus. Built like a juggernaut with a solid heart of gold.”
To this, Musk replied with a heart emoji. A source told people that Elon “really loves Shivon.”
The Elon Musk Family
Elon Musk is now a father of 14 children with four different women. His first child, Nevada Alexander, was born in 2002 to his ex-wife Justine Wilson, but sadly passed away at just 10 weeks old. Later, Musk and Wilson had twins Vivian and Griffin, who are now 20 years old. They also had triplets Kai, Saxon, and Damian, who all turned 19 this year. In addition to his children with Wilson, Musk also has three children with the musician Grimes. Their children are son X AE A-12, who is 4 years old, daughter Exa Dark Siderael, who is 3 years old, and son Techno Mechanius, also known as Tau, who is 2 years old.
Musk also has three children with Shivon Zilis, a director at his company Neuralink. Zilis and Musk welcomed twins Strider and Azure in November 2021, although the birth was kept secret at the time. The twins’ arrival was disclosed in July 2022, through court documents. Interestingly, the twins were born just weeks before Musk and Grimes welcomed their daughter Exa Dark Siderael through surrogacy. Zilis and Musk’s third child together is a daughter named Arcadia who was born on February 28, 2024. This birth was exactly a year after Zilis marked their daughter Azure’s first birthday.
Furthermore, there is a recent claim by writer Ashley St. Clair that Musk is the father of her son R.S.C., who was born five months before her announcement on February 14.
St. Clair mentioned in a post on X, “Five months ago, I welcomed a new baby into the world. Elon Musk is the father.” She also mentioned that this news was kept private for the child’s safety and privacy.
Public and Personal Relations of Musk
Musk’s expanded family has sparked curiosity in the public, particularly the relationships among the mothers of his children. However, Zilis and Grimes addressed their relationship with a tweet after a reported misunderstanding.
Elon Musk-led electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla is allegedly finalising two locations for its showrooms in Delhi and Mumbai, marking another milestone in the company’s efforts to establish a foothold in India. According to sources cited by an international news agency, the company has decided on locations for its showrooms, which will span 5,000 square feet and be located in Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex and Delhi’s Aerocity. According to the report, these showrooms would only be used to sell the company’s imported EVs; they would not be used as service centres. This comes after it was revealed in December of last year that Tesla was in negotiations with prominent real estate company DLF to look at potential locations for its showroom in India, including the Cyber Hub complex in Gurugram and DLF’s Avenue Mall in Delhi.
Additionally, the development coincides with the company’s eagerly awaited debut in the Indian market. Musk, the richest man in the world and the CEO of Tesla, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week while he was in the United States. During their conversation, Musk talked about topics that Modi is “passionate about, such as space, mobility, technology, and innovation,” according to a post on X.
Tesla Announces New Hiring Plans in India
Tesla has taken a big step by starting its employment process in India in this short time frame and after Modi’s visit to the US, where India and US President Donald Trump agreed on a trade deal roadmap. It would appear that Tesla is reaffirming its plan to enter India.
Tesla, which has long had a small presence in India, is currently hiring for 13 positions, both back-end and customer-facing ones. Following years of negotiations that experienced numerous setbacks due to tax exemptions and local manufacturing regulations, the news has rekindled rumours regarding Tesla’s long-awaited debut into India. Musk has long criticised India’s high import taxes, claiming that they are a significant obstacle to Tesla’s growth there. At the moment of Tesla’s action, US President Donald Trump is advocating for strict tariffs.
Picture Still Not Clear
Tesla’s abrupt decision to begin hiring in India has raised the prospect of large investments coming to the nation, but is there more to this than what first appears? Whether Tesla will get the tax breaks it has long desired is still up in the air. Additionally, we are currently unaware of Tesla’s plans to manufacture or assemble in India. However, the timing of Tesla’s ambitions to hire people in India has sparked a lot of debate due to growing tariff concerns and Musk’s tight relationship with Trump.
Now a significant Trump buddy, Elon Musk has a lot of influence within the government. Trump’s election to a second term in office means that US trade policy will probably become more assertive. Although Tesla had previously backed out of its intentions for India, the country may now feel pressured to provide more favourable terms due to the shifting political climate. Tesla has been pursuing reduced import taxes for years prior to making significant investments in India. In the past, New Delhi has lowered electric vehicle import duties for businesses that made at least 41.5 billion rupees ($500 million) and set up local manufacturing within three years. However, Tesla faces growing competition in India’s quickly changing EV industry.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a pivotal figure in the Trump administration, met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi less than a week ago to discuss a bilateral roadmap for enhancing technology ties. However, Tesla has taken a big step by starting its employment process in India in this short time frame and after Modi’s visit to the US, where India and US President Donald Trump agreed on a trade deal roadmap. It would appear that Tesla is reaffirming its plan to enter India.
Tesla, which has long had a small presence in India, is currently hiring for 13 positions, both back-end and customer-facing ones. Following years of negotiations that experienced numerous setbacks due to tax exemptions and local manufacturing regulations, the news has rekindled rumours regarding Tesla’s long-awaited debut into India. Musk has long criticised India’s high import taxes, claiming that they are a significant obstacle to Tesla’s growth there. At the moment of Tesla’s action, US President Donald Trump is advocating for strict tariffs.
Picture Still Not Clear
Tesla‘s abrupt decision to begin hiring in India has raised the prospect of large investments coming to the nation, but is there more to this than what first appears? Whether Tesla will get the tax breaks it has long desired is still up in the air. Additionally, we are currently unaware of Tesla’s plans to manufacture or assemble in India. However, the timing of Tesla’s ambitions to hire people in India has sparked a lot of debate due to growing tariff concerns and Musk’s tight relationship with Trump.
Now a significant Trump buddy, Elon Musk has a lot of influence within the government. Trump’s election to a second term in office means that US trade policy will probably become more assertive. Although Tesla had previously backed out of its intentions for India, the country may now feel pressured to provide more favourable terms due to the shifting political climate. Tesla has been pursuing reduced import taxes for years prior to making significant investments in India. In the past, New Delhi has lowered electric vehicle import duties for businesses that made at least 41.5 billion rupees ($500 million) and set up local manufacturing within three years. However, Tesla faces growing competition in India’s quickly changing EV industry.
India’s Current EV Sector
The electric vehicle market in India is expanding quickly as local producers boost output. Businesses like Maruti Suzuki, Mahindra & Mahindra, and Tata Motors are actively growing their EV product lines. The e-Vitara was introduced at an auto exhibition in February by Maruti Suzuki, which had been a latecomer to the EV industry. New models were also displayed by other players, including VinFast from Vietnam.
Additionally, local manufacturers are solidifying their positions at the same time as Tesla’s recruiting announcement. A Tesla entry might cause market disruption and put pressure on domestic companies that have invested heavily in the industry. Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Motors have resisted any decrease in import taxes, claiming that doing so will hurt their ability to compete.
ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, has received a revised proposal from Perplexity AI that calls for the formation of a new firm that would combine Perplexity with TikTok’s US operations. The US government would be able to own up to 50% of the organisation under this new structure, according to an AP investigation. According to the source, the revised proposal, which was filed last week, expands upon a previous one that was given to ByteDance on January 18, the day before the US law that banned TikTok went into force.
The initial plan included a structure for combining Perplexity, a San Francisco-based company, with TikTok’s US operations and obtaining more capital from investors. The plan provides ByteDance with a compromise that permits it to keep some ties to TikTok without completely cutting them off. ByteDance would have to cede control to a board that is entirely based in the US, though.
According to the updated plan, upon an initial public offering (IPO) of at least $300 billion, the US government might purchase up to half of the new company’s shares. According to media reports, the US government would not be granted a seat on the company’s board or have voting rights over these government-owned shares.
Crucially, the deal states that the US business that ByteDance provided would not include TikTok’s secret technology, which forms the basis of the app’s content recommendation engine.
Trump Supporting Musk to Crack TikTok Deal
In the past, US President Donald Trump has spoken out in favour of Tesla CEO Elon Musk purchasing TikTok, proposing an innovative deal whereby the US government would control 50% of the company in return for operating licenses.
At a press briefing on January 21, Trump responded, “I would be, if he wanted to buy it, yes,” in response to a question regarding Musk’s potential interest in the platform. Additionally, he named Larry Ellison, the chairman of Oracle, adding, “I’d like Larry to buy it, too.”
TikTok Restores Services in USA
Following U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement last week that he would restore TikTok’s access in the nation if he regained power, the app’s services were resumed. Due to a law citing national security, TikTok blocked its app for users in the United States.
President Donald Trump stated on 25th January that he was in discussions with several parties about purchasing TikTok and that he would probably make a decision regarding the future of the well-known app within the next 30 days.
Growth of Perplexity AI
Over the previous 12 months, Perplexity AI has grown significantly. The company was valued at approximately $500 million at the beginning of 2024. By year’s end, the figure had risen to $9 billion. This expansion was greatly aided by the generative AI boom, as more investors recognised the potential of AI search tools as a significant threat to Google. Nevertheless, Perplexity hasn’t had an easy time. The business has occasionally been in the news for the wrong reasons due to criticism it has received for alleged plagiarism.
On board SpaceX’s Transporter-12 mission, Digantara, a space surveillance business located in Bengaluru, is scheduled to launch its first dedicated surveillance satellite, SCOT (space camera for object tracking). Notably, SCOT fills in the gaps in the current global space surveillance systems by being built to track resident space objects (RSOs) with high frequency and accuracy. In low earth orbit (LEO), the satellite can track objects as tiny as 5 cm and provide continuous monitoring that is not impacted by weather or geographical restrictions. Digantara CEO Anirudh Sharma stated that the company is taking a significant step towards attaining surveillance superiority with SCOT, guaranteeing not only a more secure and sustainable space environment but also protecting sovereign assets in the face of a space domain that is becoming more and more disputed.
Facilitating Safer Spacecraft Operations
By maintaining a sun-synchronous orbit, the satellite will facilitate safer spacecraft operations and allow for ongoing monitoring of the near-Earth environment. Digantara, which was founded in 2018 by Anirudh Sharma, Rahul Rawat, and Tanveer Ahmed, is developing an end-to-end space operations infrastructure with the goal of assisting stakeholders throughout a spacecraft mission’s whole value chain and life cycle. The business wants to build a constellation of satellites to follow things as small as 1 cm, and its flagship product is its own space debris detector. The startup’s Series A1 investment round ended last year with a final close of $12 million. Digantara has garnered $14.5 million in capital to date, supported by companies such as Aditya Birla Ventures, Peak XV Partners, and the state-backed Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).
The Ever Expanding Indian Spacetech Market
Digantara is part of the broader Indian spacetech industry, which has grown significantly in recent years due to government initiatives and a sizable influx of venture funding. As a result, domestic companies like Agnikul, Bellatrix, Pixxel, and Skyroot have emerged at different stages of the space value chain. By 2030, the Indian spacetech market is expected to grow to a size of $77 billion, according to various media reports. Even though there were more agreements last year—14 in 2024 compared to 11 in 2023—the total amount of money raised by Indian spacetech businesses dropped 35% year over year to $81 million, according to the Indian Startup Funding Report 2024.
Two other Indian space businesses, in addition to Digantara, contributed satellites to SpaceX’s Transporter-12 rocket, which took off from Vandenberg, California, in the United States. Together with ELEVATION-1, a satellite for the US-based Almagest Space Corporation that was entirely planned and produced by Hyderabad-based XDLINX Spacelabs, Bengaluru-based Pixxel launched the first three satellites of its Firefly constellation.
