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About seven years ago, among a group of Tesla fans, I held a laptop, a phone, and a notepad in my hands, and witnessed firsthand as the chief designers Franz, von, and Holzhausen threw a metal ball the size of a baseball towards the driver's side window of Cybertruck. As a result, the glass shattered—in fact, it shattered twice throughout the entire launch event—and Tesla's CEO, Elon Musk, made some awkward jokes and just smiled about it.

I've witnessed many shocking, bizarre, and almost fantastical moments at Tesla events. But the release of Cybertruck was the most interesting one—not because of its apocalyptic-style appearance, but because of the reaction of the audience on site.

When this car drove onto the stage, I saw the attendees take a breath in sharply; some even showed signs of disgust. There were also whispers among the crowd (“This can’t possibly be Cybertruck, right?” I heard a Tesla fan say softly). Of course, there were also those who cheered. The brief shock among Musk’s most loyal fans quickly turned into support, acceptance, and ultimately, approval.

This emotion spread like waves among the audience. By the time the attendees lined up to test ride Cybertruck, the atmosphere had changed. Everyone became a fan.

This enthusiasm also continued into the reservations for the Cybertruck. Musk stated during the third-quarter financial report conference call in 2023 that the number of reservations soared to 1 million units. However, this never translated into actual sales volumes. Industry experts estimate that since deliveries began in November 2023, approximately 71,000 units of the Cybertruck have been sold.

And now, the Cybertruck is heading for the scrap heap. Musk stated on Friday that Tesla will cease producing the Cybertruck next year.

Is it because this car is too avant-garde? Perhaps, but it will always remain a niche market. I think a more realistic reason is what has hindered sales. Musk once promised that the Cybertruck would have a range of up to 500 miles and a price of less than $40,000. As veteran journalist Sean O Kane pointed out in his report, neither of these promises was fulfilled.

Trade!

Zipline This week has been quite remarkable. To be more precise, it’s been a truly remarkable year. This startup company, founded in 2014, specializes in autonomous drone delivery and has been steadily expanding over the past few years, with 2026 pushing it to new heights.

In early 2026, Zipline raised $600 million in financing and soon added another $200 million to this Series H round. The company plans to use this funds to accelerate its expansion, with the goal of entering at least four cities in the United States by 2026.

Now, it has acquired even more funds to expand even faster. Zipline announced a $1.5 billion financing this week and is intensifying its collaboration with Walmart, adding 300 new drone delivery sites in the United States. Zipline is currently valued at $21.5 billion.

There are also some transactions that have caught my attention...

Electric truck startup Harbinger raises $240 million in Series D funding as it expands its product portfolio to include battery energy storage and defense applications. No information is available regarding the company's valuation yet.

Humble Robotics completed a $51 million Series A financing round, bringing its total funding to $75 million in less than a year since its establishment. This round was led by Obvious Ventures, with existing investors such as Eclipse and Energy Impact Partners also participating.

Static Media has acquired the automotive news website CarScoops, further expanding its existing media portfolio. This portfolio includes 34 brands such as Engadget, Jalopnik, and SlashGear.

In addition, this micro-mobility startup, which split off from Rivian in 2025, quietly launched and then abandoned its electric two-wheeler pilot project in Kenya earlier this year. The reason is that it wishes to focus its resources on its ambitions for electric bicycles and autonomous vehicles targeting consumers.

Amazon has designated Uber Eats as its official partner for meal delivery services to Prime members in the United States, which effectively terminates the existing cooperation agreement between this e-commerce giant and Grubhub.

Ferrari's first electric vehicle, which is also one of the most controversial models, Luce, has seen its production capacity for 2027 "fully allocated" already.

Serve Robotics announces plans to launch a new business line named Physical AI Services. The company will continue to operate and expand its automated delivery services, while also becoming a supplier of technology needed by other robotics companies.

AI The prediction of booking restaurants, travel itineraries, and even hailing taxis on behalf of others has not yet been truly implemented. Uber During the third-quarter financial report conference call, it was mentioned that in the busiest week of October – the week of Halloween – only four taxi bookings were placed through AI.

Waymo is adjusting its relationship with Uber, confirming the speculations that have been circulating for months. Starting from January 2028, the company will end its exclusive partnership with Uber in the Austin and Atlanta markets.

One more thing...

Over the past three years, this newsletter has often focused on the investigative reports, exclusive news, and interviews by senior journalists Sean O and Kane. Some of my favorite articles we have collaborated on include: his exclusive revelation that Jeff Bezos supports Slate Auto; our report on how LoveFrom can participate in the design of Also electric bicycles; his investigation into Fisker; and his report on how Waymo relies on first responders to assist in moving its autonomous taxis.

We also co-authored dozens of company financial reports and breaking news articles, and jointly hosted the flagship entrepreneurial business podcast “Equity” – “TechCrunch”. Now, seeing him embark on a new adventure at The Wall Street Journal to report on Tesla, I can’t help but feel a mix of emotions.

Good luck, Sean! We will miss you!

Of course, I will also continue to bring readers insider information, exclusive news, and analysis about the future of transportation, ranging from autonomous driving technology and electric vehicles to automotive technology and the future of flying.

Have any clues you'd like to share with me? Please send an email to [ email protected ].