Good morning. On this day in 1804, American statesmen Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr held their Broadway-famous duel.
The founder of the American banking system “openly disliked” his rival, then the U.S. vice president, and attempted to “thwart his political aspirations” several times, per Britannica. The confrontation culminated in Hamilton’s death and the end of Burr’s political career.
Can you think of a pair of technologists who enjoy a similarly acrimonious rivalry? I sure can. Good thing social media posts have replaced flintlock pistols.
Today’s tech news below; have a great weekend. —Andrew Nusca
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Tesla finally sets a shareholder meeting date
Better late than never. Tesla announced on Thursday it will hold an annual shareholders meeting on Nov. 6.
The announcement comes some 24 hours after a letter from more than two dozen investors pressed the electric automaker’s board on when it would next go mano a mano with its shareholders.
The last annual shareholders meeting was a high-stakes event that saw investors approve CEO Elon Musk’s controversial pay package a second time and green-light a move from Delaware to Texas.
Under Texas law, Tesla is required to hold an annual meeting within 13 months of the last one, which was held on June 13, 2024.
Meanwhile, Tesla has yet to file a proxy statement that would likely answer swirling questions about Musk’s compensation, which would make him the highest-ever paid CEO of a publicly traded company.
(To refresh: An investor challenged the package in court, and a Delaware chancery court judge rescinded it twice, even after Tesla investors approved it a second time last year.)
As it stands, it’s unclear how the Tesla board will proceed with paying Musk—critical for keeping him engaged at Tesla amid his other competing interests, political or otherwise. —Amanda Gerut
U.K. police arrest four people in connection to major hacks
Four individuals have been arrested in the United Kingdom as part of a National Crime Agency investigation into cyberattacks at Marks & Spencer, Co-op, and Harrods.
The NCA said Thursday that it has detained a 20-year-old woman in Staffordshire, which is north of Birmingham, and three teenage men in London and the West Midlands on charges of computer misuse, blackmail, money laundering, and organized crime.
All but one are U.K. citizens. “A large number of electronic devices” were also taken, according to the BBC.
The hacks in question were highly disruptive to internal software systems at M&S (a Target-like retailer) and Co-op (a major supermarket chain), leading to bare shelves and lost profits—£300m at M&S alone, by its own calculations.
Harrods, an upscale department store à la Bergdorf Goodman in New York, wasn’t as severely affected.
The perpetrators achieved the attacks through the use of ransomware. M&S was the first to see disruption; Co-op came a few days later, enduring a data breach affecting millions of customers and staff. Harrods followed. —AN
Indeed and Glassdoor to cut 1,300 employees
Indeed and Glassdoor—both leading job-seeking services owned by Japan’s Recruit Holdings—say they’ll cut more than a thousand jobs.
The likely reasons? To combine operations and pivot toward—you guessed it—artificial intelligence.
Recruit CEO Hisayuki “Deko” Idekoba made the announcement in an internal memo.
The cuts will mostly affect employees in the U.S., particularly those within R&D, HR, and sustainability, according to a Bloomberg report citing the memo.
Glassdoor, which Recruit acquired in 2018 for $1.2 billion, will be merged into its larger sibling.
As part of the consolidation, Glassdoor CEO Christian Sutherland-Wong will depart on Oct. 1. Indeed CEO Chris Hyams, who replaced Idekoba in the role in 2019, resigned last month to clear a path for Deko’s return.
In the memo, Idekoba didn’t offer specific justification for the cuts, but allowed: “AI is changing the world, and we must adapt by ensuring our product delivers truly great experiences.” —AN
More tech
—Some AI talent rejected Meta’s overtures. Fewer defections, reportedly, from Anthropic and Google DeepMind.
—Apple’s early 2026 plans: A new low-end iPhone, multiple iPads, and upgraded Macs.
—Belkin discontinues Wemo smart home products. The end comes on January 31.
—AI-generated child sexual abuse material is proliferating. Police are “inundated” with takedown requests.
—Bluesky rolls out age verification in the U.K. to comply with the Online Safety Act.
—U.S. borders favor Anduril. Only Palmer Luckey’s defense tech company can meet a new “autonomous” certification requirement.
—Robinhood CEO’s AI startup is off to the races. Vlad Tenev’s Harmonic is pursuing “mathematical superintelligence.”
—U.S. power grid under strain from data centers. Some electricity bills are projected to jump 20%.
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