Michael Vi
Seeking Alpha’s roundup of statements, announcements and remarks that could impact the technology sector.
- The U.S. Army said it has signed a new Enterprise Agreement with Palantir worth up to $10 billion that “establishes a comprehensive framework for the Army’s future software and data needs.”
The new EA will consolidate 75 contracts into a single contract, which will help reduce procurement time and “allow the government flexibility to purchase goods and services as needed,” the Army said in a statement.
“This Enterprise Agreement represents a pivotal step in the Army’s commitment to modernizing our capabilities while being fiscally responsible,” said U.S. Army CIO Leo Garciga in the statement. “By streamlining our procurement processes and leveraging enterprise-level discounts, we are not only enhancing our operational effectiveness but also maximizing our buying power.”
- A Miami jury has found Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) partly liable for a fatal car crash in 2019 that involved one of its Autopilot-equipped vehicles, awarding $329 million in damages to a crash survivor and the deceased victim’s family.
The accident occurred after the Tesla driver took his eyes off the road to pick up his cellphone, believing that the car’s Enhanced Autopilot system would brake if it sensed any obstacles in the way. Instead, the car accelerated and hit two people on the side of the road, killing one, according to CNBC.
“Tesla designed Autopilot only for controlled access highways yet deliberately chose not to restrict drivers from using it elsewhere, alongside Elon Musk telling the world Autopilot drove better than humans,” the plaintiff’s counsel, Brett Schreiber, told CNBC in an e-mailed statement on Friday. “Tesla’s lies turned our roads into test tracks for their fundamentally flawed technology, putting everyday Americans like Naibel Benavides and Dillon Angulo in harm’s way.”
- Airbnb (NASDAQ:ABNB) is optimistic that restrictions on its service in New York City will be lifted.
“Conversations are happening there, top-level conversations with the mayor and with mayoral candidates,” Airbnb CBO Dave Stephenson said in an interview with Bloomberg. “We’re having really good conversations about the importance of supporting the communities and the economics in those communities and I think that they’re realizing that the law is not serving the community well.”
Bloomberg noted that the company plans to spend around $10 million this year on local and state races to get politicians sympathetic to its cause elected. The company has already spent over $1 million on the New York City mayoral race.