Tech Brew Ride Home Blackouts Take Waymo Out
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Dec 22, 2025 Waymo's robotaxis struggled during a citywide blackout, halting services in San Francisco. Larry Ellison puts his money behind Paramount’s bid for WBD, stirring board concerns. Music piracy is back in style with a massive Spotify scrape from an activist group. Instacart faces backlash and suspends price tests after customer complaints. On the tech front, OpenAI enhances ChatGPT with adjustable tones, while discussions heat up about whether Google's TPUs can rival Nvidia's stronghold in AI.
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Autonomy Struggles In Citywide Blackouts
- Waymo's robo-taxis stalled during a San Francisco blackout because vehicles paused to confirm nonfunctional intersections and sometimes stopped in traffic.
- The company paused service and coordinated with city officials to safely return vehicles to depots or pull them over.
Ellison Trust Backs Paramount's Bid
- Paramount amended its WBD bid with an irrevocable personal guarantee tied to 1.2 billion Oracle shares anchored in Larry Ellison's trust.
- The move aimed to reassure WBD's board worried about whether Ellison's backing would be present at closing.
Price Tests Cost Instacart Trust
- Instacart ended all item price tests after customer backlash and an FTC-related settlement over deceptive practices.
- The company said tests fell short of expectations and moved to eliminate confusing price differences for shoppers.