S.E. Robinson, Jr.

ELON CHRON: The Daily Chronicle of Elon Musk's Companies

Added 2025-07-21 20:50:19 +0000 UTC

21st of July, 2025

"There is something special – far more rewarding than money – about working with an epic team to make breakthroughs..." - Elon Musk (@elonmusk)

■ TESLA TSLA -1.81%↓ ($328.49, -0.35%):

- Tesla held a soft opening for First Responders at the Tesla Diner in Hollywood over the weekend. Per Tesla Supercharging Director, Max de Zegher, (@MdeZegher), "The Diner was close to the LA fires while under construction, so we're extra grateful to our First Responders." Videos and images flooded the socials. Some of the best footage came from Tesla Club-SoCal (@TeslaClubSoCal) and Prime the pump (@whistingbhole).

Per Elon, "If our retro-futuristic diner turns out well, which I think it will, Tesla will establish these in major cities around the world, as well as at Supercharger sites on long distance routes. An island of good food, good vibes & entertainment, all while Supercharging!"

Evelyn Janeidy Arevalo (@JaneidyEve) asked Elon to build a Tesla Diner at Starbase. "I've always wanted to go to a retro car movie theater!" Elon replied, "Ok."

- Tesla had a "Electric Summer"-Party in Cologne Mülheim, Germany on Saturday. Everyone who came by got to do test drives, have free drinks and snacks, and kids got to ride the cyberquads and enjoy a bouncy castle for They also had small guided tours through their workshop.

- Elon on Robotaxi, "Your Tesla self-driving capability will see a step change improvement as we integrate upgrades for the Austin Robotaxi build into the general production release. We need to validate that improvements for Austin don’t cause regressions elsewhere. For Europe and China, we are awaiting regulatory approval. Hopefully, soon."

- Tesla received FCC approval to test the resilience of Tobotaxi against cellular hacking. It started Sunday and will run until the 21st of August by simulating radio frequency attacks to assess vulnerabilities. These signals fall outside Tesla's normal operational license area, requiring coordination with spectrum owners like Verizon and AT&T within 50 miles of the testing area.

- Robotaxi App Update 25.7.6. (6041) has started rolling out on iOS. Key updates include Auto Dark/Light modes, New arrow pointing in the direction of the vehicle, and restaurants/places now show open or closed. H/T Zack (@BLKMDL3).

- Joe Tegtmeyer (@JoeTegtmeyer) verified Tesla validation vehicles were observed in Marble Falls, Texas, far west of Austin and the newly expanded service area.

- Semi Factory making good progress Has a stamping shop now! Tesla started installing tools in Powder Coat & Material Conveyance shops

- Tesla announced FSD transfer in Europe and the Middle East.

- Powerwall 3 and Expansion Units are now available in France.

- Tesla China announced that Model 3 has sold 3 million units worldwide and ranked as the global pure electric sedan sales champion for 7 consecutive years by Car and Driver. A Model 3 is sold every 1.5 minutes on average.

FLYOVERS (flight links in sources section):

Giga Texas: Joe Tegtmeyer (@JoeTegtmeyer), 21st of July, '25.

■ SPACEX:

- Friday night, launch 91 of Falcon 9 Starlink 17-3 took place from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. This was the 14th flight for first stage booster B1082. It previously launched USSF-62, OneWeb Launch 20, NROL-145, and 10 Starlink missions. The booster landed on drone ship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. 24 Starlinks were deployed. Pic from the fields by Maddie Urquhart (@rocketgobrrrrr).

- On Saturday, Salvage ship LB Jill was caught on video lifting Super Heavy Booster 13's engine section out of the Gulf of America. Per Elon, "Like the ruins of a long dead civilization."

- At Pad 2, the CH4 booster quick disconnect is being assembled. Wonderful shots by Shaun Gisler (@lifeatstagezero) and @StarshipGazer.

- Last night, the LOX Booster Quick Disconnect arrived at Pad 2.

- Flight 10's Starship 37 was spotted in the left corner of Mega Bay 2 by NSF's (@NASASpaceflight) Jack Beyer (@thejackbeyer), while Carlos (@cnunezimages) snapped a great view Flight 11's Starship 38.

- Some close up shots of Starbase's Rio West community on Quicksilver Avenue. This place includes single-family and multifamily housing for employees and a $22 million community building that will offer amenities like a pool and is designed to be a central gathering space. The images above shows they are using CERACLAD Triple Coated Rainscreen Siding. Pics by Ron Loyd, Director of Sales at CERACLAD.

- Elon replied to a post that SpaceX will utilize Grok to significantly improve Starship design. Per Elon, "Not yet, but it will."

- Today, while doing sediment sampling at the Port of Long Beach, Eric Dieters of Zephyr Work Boats got up close to the SpaceX pier and Dragon Recovery Vessel Shannon.

Starbase City Commission Meeting:

No meetings scheduled at this time.

Countdown to 180 (88 - Falcon 9, 0 - Falcon Heavy, and 3 - Starship):

Launch 92! July, Monday, 21st of July, at 5:12 p.m. ET, Falcon 9 O3b mPower 9-10 will launch from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. 2 high-throughput communications satellites in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) built by Boeing and operated by SES.
Launch 93! Tuesday, 22nd of July, at 11:13 a.m. PT, Falcon 9 TRACERS will launch from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. The booster will return to site and land at Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4) at Vandenberg. This is NASA's Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites (TRACERS) mission, consisting of two identical satellites that will orbit Earth in tandem (one following the other), will help understand magnetic re-connection and its effects in Earth’s atmosphere. Magnetic re-connection occurs when activity from the Sun interacts with Earth’s magnetic field. By understanding this process, scientists will be able to better understand and prepare for impacts of solar activity on Earth.
Launch 94! Thursday, 24th of July, at 5:12 a.m. ET, Falcon 9 Starlink 10-26 will launch from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
Launch 95! Friday, 25th of July, at 7:09 p.m. PT, Falcon 9 Starlink 17-2 will launch from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. The booster will land on drone ship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean.
Launch 96! Tuesday, 29th of July, at 8:39 a.m. PT, Falcon 9 Starlink 13-4 will launch from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. The booster will land on drone ship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean.
Launch ??! Thursday, 31st of July, at 12:09 p.m. ET, NASA SpaceX Falcon 9 Crew-11 will launch from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. This will be Crew Dragon Endeavour's 6th flight. Booster B1094 will return to site and land at Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) located at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Launch ??! Flight 10 NET August 4th.

■ THE BORING COMPANY:

- Michel (@Mic_VegasSphere) posted a new update of the Vegas LOOP Firefly Station on Paradise Rd. "The ramp is to move the earth up so dump trucks can receive the dirt. Just dig it!"

- I had reported a couple of weeks back that talks had started for a 5-to-10-mile Boring Company tunnel to connect downtown Nashville with Nashville International Airport. The Nashville Business Journal is now reporting that this has advanced to a point where officials with TBC and the state of Tennessee are nearing a public announcement, so stay tunned.

- The above plans show The Boring Company's Vegas LOOP station at the Hard Rock Las Vegas Resort, located at 3400 S Las Vegas Blvd. They come from Clark County application #25-900496 for floor and elevation plans, the station is under construction as of this month. The tunnel floor plan at chainage 2054' features a main eastern tunnel with a westward hammerhead branch, including a curved access ramp, multiple parallel vehicle bays for passenger loading/unloading, and adjacent platform areas. The station footprint spans approximately 200-300 feet in length and 100-150 feet in width, 30 feet at the bottom. It will be integrated with an existing shallower valet tunnel and the resort's multi-level structure including basement, mezzanine, and street levels. Images by Reddit u/Sea-Juice1266.

■ NEURALINK:

- Neuralink announced they successfully implanted patient No.8 and No.9 this weekend. They did this in one day. "Both participants are recovering well and in great spirits. We are looking forward to supporting them on their Neuralink journey."

Per Neuralink Co-Founder, DJ Seo (@djseo), "Our goal is at least 20 before the end of 2025."

Per Elon, "Neuralink will do live-changing good for ultimately millions, maybe billions, of people. Imagine your loved one being able to walk again or your parent with dementia being able to recognize their child again."

- DJ also posted, "Won’t need the glasses for text streaming if you have Blindsight."

- NP1 Noland Arbaugh (@ModdedQuad) spoke with Dan Steinhart (@dan_steinhart) of the Rational Optimist Society (@RationalOptSoc). Noland speaks his journey, detailing his life before the implant, the moment he first moved a cursor with his thoughts, and how this tech has already improved tenfold. Next move, control his wheelchair and even Optimus with his thoughts. Link to the discussion in the SOURCES SECTION.

■ STARLINK:

- In Brazil, the Minas Gerais Fire Department has trained over 300 agents, including 174 military firefighters and 132 civilian firefighters to combat vegetation fires during the state's critical fire season. They are utilizing Starlink and the ArcGIS system for real-time monitoring of risk areas. On the 14th of July, a simulation depicting real-life vegetation firefighting was held with troop aircraft disembarkation, georeferencing, and Starlink transmission. The department demonstrated its readiness to protect lives, the environment, and Minas Gerais' natural heritage.

- United Airlines resolved the static interference issue with Starlink on their Embraer E175 aircraft by repositioning the Starlink antenna further from another comms antenna. Per Toby Enqvist, United Airlines’ Chief Operating Officer, "The two antennas were too close together. So we worked around that." United now has 60 aircraft with Starlink.

- In the recently opened country of Indonesia, SpaceX made Starlink unavailable for new customers due to sold-out capacity. They also had to temporarily halt the activation process for new devices purchased through retail or third parties. Those still wanting a Starlink can place a deposit to secure a spot on a waiting list and will be notified once the service becomes available again. Yesterday, trying to ease the situation, Wayan Toni Supriyanto, Indonesia’s director general of Digital Infrastructure, stated the country’s digital connectivity needs are met by multiple national and foreign satellite operators, not solely Starlink.

■ X:

- X Japan has launched the official limited-time Demon Slayer portal. It features a 15 Day campaign starting with the "Full Concentration - Two" event at 12 p.m. UTC, and a live stream of the "Mugen Train" arc's first episode at 6 p.m. UTC. Produced by ufotable, renowned for its high-quality animation, this event is in collaboration with Jpan's FamilyMart, and supports Japan’s anime industry. Per X Japan CEO, Ayumu Matsuyama (@ayumu_matsuyama), "Please check out the trending section! More exciting content to enjoy Demon Slayer to the fullest is coming up!" Check out the portal HERE.

- Elon announced X is officially using Grok to "understand the intrinsic value of content so that bangers from small/new accounts get shown by the algorithm is a major focus."

- Today, French authorities, prompted by politician Eric Bothorel, have initiated a criminal investigation into X, alleging algorithm manipulation and fraudulent data extraction. X denies all claims and says the investigation is politically motivated and baseless. French police can employ extensive powers like wiretapping X employees’ devices, despite X’s lack of clarity on specific allegations.

The investigation involves David Chavalarias, who leads the anti-X "Escape X" campaign, raising concerns about impartiality. They are demanding access to X’s recommendation algorithm and real-time user post data. X has refused to comply, citing legal rights, to protect user data, resist political censorship, and defend due process. The investigation is a distortion of French law to curb free speech.

- X's Saurabh Arora (@iSaurabhArora) posted another Android Lite update rolled out:

Crash fixes while composing.
Fix for HD images not loading on certain devices.
Gallery/Media Viewer improvements for Light theme

■ xAI:

- Per Elon, "We’re going to make Baby Grok xAI, an app dedicated to kid-friendly content. Inspired by Baby Groot."

- xAI's Al Mc D (@almc_d) and Team feeding the Colossus yesterday. "Sunday Evening somewhere in Memphis, a small crew of infra staff, including engineers that refuse to go home until the job is done. Hope you’re hungry Grok, we’re building what you crave."

- xAI continues to win the hearts and minds of their fellow Memphians. The spent the day cleaning debris and trash at Westwood High School and John P. Freeman this past Saturday. They are employing local businesses to help with the work.

Pastor Melvin D. Watkins, Jr. had the following to say, "What local business takes the time to clean the community nearly EVERYDAY? NOT AN ANNUAL EVENT, but everyday.

I had been wondering who was doing this as I drove by them daily. Some (NOT ALL) large and small businesses have prospered and been in our neighborhood for decades and have not done much of anything but take. Not just the large ones but I’m talking gas stations, grocery stores, fast food restaurants, cleaners, liquor stores, pay day loans, convenient stores, etc.

Today this company is in two of our schools, cleaning to prepare for the student’s arrival. We cannot be too scared, bullied, and politicized to a point of not recognizing the good work of community partners. JOB WELL DONE xAI! If the other business neighbors and partners would follow along, we will fix what is broken."

- Elon said there would Grok Vending Machines... Well, here you go! xAI's Eric Jiang (@veggie_eric) and team powered the machine up at the office. "Thanks to our friends at Andon Labs! How much dough do you think Grok is gonna rake in in the next month?"

- xAI addressed Grok 4's overthinking of basic prompts by introducing a "Quick Answer" mode for simple queries and a "Think Harder" option for complex ones. Think Harder leverages 10 times more reinforcement learning computational power than Grok 3.

- New Model selector for Grok Web is in the works; Auto, Fast, Expert, and Heavy. H/T Tech Dev Notes (@techdevnotes).

- Per Elon , “Constructing Valentine.”

- Per Elon, "Using Grok to understand the intrinsic value of content so that bangers from small/new accounts get shown by the algorithm is a major focus."

- To understand the caliber of people at Elon's companies, read xAI Colossus Lead Brent Mayo (@BrentM_SpaceX) post. "Being a relentless worker, pouring your heart into every task because you are obsessed with creating something extraordinary is 🔑. Each day, diving into the hardest challenges with a grin (not in a “oh fk me I hate this” way but a “we’re about to figure this the fk out” way) matters. Being real with everyone around you about the true status/condition of things (bad or even terribly bad) is critical and allows you to see things for what they are. Then you can make honest decisions with a “matter of fact” based approach.

The grind isn’t just for me—it’s for lifting others up and making a real difference around me (personally and professionally). I thrive on the chaos of hard work, knowing every hour worked and every goal accomplished is a win that shapes a brighter future. The world’s a mess (that has always been and will always be the case), but I’m hopeful we can all help make it better one crazy, joyful effort at a time. Nothing can stop you when chasing a purpose ……. And that lights me up (every single day)."

■ DOGE:

Estimated Savings: $190 Billion

Amount Saved Per Taxpayer: $1,180.12

- DOGE announced, in collaboration with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services team, they eliminated $14 billion in duplicative Medicaid and ACA enrollment. "After identifying the correct databases and validating datasets, the CMS and DOGE teams were able to uncover 2.8 million Americans improperly enrolled in multiple programs."

- Friday evening, DOGE announced over the last 3 days, agencies terminated 80 contracts with a ceiling value of $831 million and savings of $436 million: This included a DoT $265k professional services contract for “planning and environment workshop and roundtable discussion”.

■ ELON NEWS:

- Per Elon, “Kek Softmax Diablo Hardcore World #1”

- Elon has some banger quotes this weekend. I'm sure there are a lot more. So if you find some, leave them in the comments.

"Back to working 7 days a week and sleeping in the office..."

"I resisted AI for too long... Living in denial... Now it is game on"

"A future where we are out there among the planets and the stars is so inspiring!"

"At times, AI existential dread is overwhelming"

"Who wouldn’t want their own personal R2-D2/3CPO?"

■ WAYS TO SUPPORT:

If you enjoy the ELON CHRON, please support by subscribing for only $4/month. That's less than .18¢/update! When you subscribe you also become instantly eligible for the monthly random subscriber giveaway.

For July, I am giving away Tesla's official Year of the Snake Backpack ($50)! Like always, one random subscriber's name will be drawn at the end of the month. Join the likes of Elon himself and SUBSCRIBE HERE!

If you are looking for some cool Musk Company Merch, you can also support the content by checking out the new shop! serobinsonjr.shop

REFERRALS:

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SOFI (ARK Venture Fund): $25 worth of stock. SOFI is the only outlet the public can invest in Cathie Wood's ARK Venture Fund ($ARKVX). This ARK fund includes SpaceX, xAI, Tesla, X, and a ton of other major AI, Tech, and Bio companies. Of note, investing in the fund requires an initial $500. https://www.sofi.com/invite/invest?gcp=ecf25d1c-7bc9-4ee0-a407-a51849297288&isAliasGcp=false
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