Tesla shares jumped more than 10 percent Thursday after the company reported earnings for the second quarter.
Investors seemed to cheer the fact that the electric automaker burned through less cashー$739.5 million in Q2 compared to $1 billion the quarter beforeーand that CEO Elon Musk behaved himself: the billionaire began the earnings call by apologizing to analysts for his ["bad manners"](https://cheddar.com/videos/elon-musk-combative-with-analysts-may-have-a-point?utm_source=All+Subs&utm_campaign=5c55c38d33-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_08_01_06_20&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4b7ac66387-5c55c38d33-121269037) three months ago, which accelerated after-market gains in the stock.
Other positives from Tesla's earnings: the company said it expects to manufacture more than 6,000 of Model 3s a week by the end of the month and that most factories would be able to produce 10,000 cars a week by the end of the year.
That would be a big step toward achieving profitabilityーMusk has said that sustained production of the Model 3 is essential for increasing cash flow and cutting losses. The company ended the quarter with about $2.2 billion in cash on its balance sheet, suggesting it has just enough to get through the year.
Still, Tesla did post a bigger loss than expectedー$3.06 a share versus an estimated $2.92ーand Musk acknowledged the company would need to raise capital to fund its planned expansion to Shanghai.
In all, the company produced more than 53,000 carsーModel 3s, Model Ss, and Model Xsーduring the second quarter, and delivered almost 41,000 vehicles. It also took a restructuring charge for cutting its workforce by 9 percent.
For more on this story, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/tesla-stocks-rise-after-earnings-report).
Virtual reality startup Sandbox VR recently announced it raised $37 million Series B funding round. It is a location-based VR company, a space that was hit hard during the pandemic. Sandbox was eventually forced to file for bankruptcy; however, the company is emerging from the pandemic with a fresh round of funding and plans to open new retail locations around the world. Sandbox VR CEO Steve Zhao joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Jill and Carlo cover the latest with the infrastructure bill, the growing state rebellion over boosters, Trump's dereliction of duty on the pandemic, Taylor Swift's reign of cultural domination and more.
2021 has been the year of many things, and one of them is the NFT or non-fungible token. We've seen NFTs come about for so many different things.
Digital artists have used them to sell their artwork in a more traditional art transaction than the internet had previously allowed. We've seen specific NFT campaigns like the pudgy penguins amass large followings. And now we're seeing them expand into horror films just in time for spooky season.
The iconic horror movie franchise "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" has launched its debut NFT line entitled "Leatherfaces." the illustrations are designed by Skinner in partnership with Ultra Rare to reveal a total of over 10,000 Leatherface avatars. The collection gives fans, NFT fiends and blockchain fanatics access to a new Texas Chainsaw Massacre metaverse unlike any that has been seen before.
Richie Hobson, co-founder of Ultra Rare, joins None of the Above to discuss.
The USO is hosting a 72 hour streamathon on Twitch called #OperationPlayItForward, and is tapping into Gen Z superstars and gamers to raise money for the organization through the power of the esports community. The goal here is to help support both the new generation of troops and their families. Director of Global Gaming Operations at USO Callum Fletcher and Former UFC Lightweight Champ and Twitch Partner Jens Pulver, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
