FCC Chair Under Investigation, Snap CEO Defends App Redesign
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is under investigation for collusion. Last year, Pai and the FCC changed the law which dictates how many stations a TV broadcaster can own. This paved the way for Sinclair to buy Tribune Media for $3.9 billion. Now, investigators are looking into whether Pai improperly colluded with Sinclair to change these rules.
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel is doubling down on the controversial app redesign after facing fierce backlash. At a conference, Spiegel said the widespread criticism actually validates Snapchat's mission. The update rolled out globally a few days ago and has faced sharp backlash from teens and even celebrity influencers like Chrissy Teigen. The new Snapchat separates friends and family from celebrities and media content. A petition to revert back to the old version has already picked up 1 million signatures.
The NHTSA is investigating Tesla over the potential for crashes and distracted driving due to its front touch screen "Passenger Play" game option. The probe covers 580,000 vehicles for all four models from 2017 to 2022.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai addressed staff about workplace culture concerns after they expressed issues with what they perceived as a lack of honesty, candor, and humility from their executives. Pichai attributed some of the challenges to remote communication during the ongoing pandemic.
The boys discuss President Biden's plans to send out free rapid tests as the testing supply chain starts to buckle ahead of the holidays. Also, why aren't Americans having more babies, and The Matrix returns.
NASA is launching its new generation of space telescopes just before Christmas. The James Webb Space Telescope, set to launch on December 24th, will succeed the Hubble space telescope as the world's most powerful complex space observatory. The project has been 30 years in the making and is one of the most highly anticipated space science missions of the 21st century. Klaus Pontoppidan, astronomer and JWST Project Scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
Electric vehicle companies took a tumble Monday after Senator Joe Manchin killed Biden's 'Build Back Better' plan. Shares of Tesla, Lucid, and Rivian all fell rapidly as the plan had included significant incentives for the growing EV sector. Rich Steinberg, former executive at Nissan, BMW and Electrify America joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
