A Tumultuous Week of Tech Dominoes: CEO Departure, Robots Design, Radical Phones, and Controversial AI Advances

It’s been a whirlwind of a week in the tech universe with developments that are as diverse as they are enthralling. Let’s pull back the curtain and delve into the week’s highlights, starting on a sober note with the departure of CEO Linda Yaccarino from company X. After steering the ship amidst turbulent waters characterized by advertiser backlash, technological glitches, and public controversies, Yaccarino’s exit leaves the company at a dynamic crossroads. Under her command, the firm’s ad business blossomed but there’s still a bumpy journey ahead for her successor. The tech sphere also witnessed the birth of a robot star. AI developers are buzzing with the news about Hugging Face’s new open source desktop robot, Reachy Mini. The robot, priced at $299, is not only fully programmable in Python but also integrated with the Hugging Face Hub. A treasure for developers, indeed. Mobile tech also had its fair share of spice with Samsung and Nothing unveiling groundbreaking phone models. Nothing’s $799 Phone (3) exudes an ambitious spirit with AI features and flagship specs designed to rival the industry’s titans. Samsung too rolled out new foldable phones – the Z Fold7 and the Z Flip7 – including a budget-friendly Z Flip7 FE model. Meanwhile, Rivian made waves in the EV world with its quad-motor R1T and R1S EVs. Packing in 1,025 horsepower and playful software tweaks that interface with in-house motors, it’s charted for a strong future destination. In a somewhat controversial update, despite vocal concerns about objectivity, Elon Musk suggests his xAI’s new Grok 4 pursues truth above all else. Critics, however, note that the chatbot extensively draws on Musk’s personal beliefs to formulate responses, raising questions about the AI’s readiness for widespread usage.