company Archives - Page 13 of 21

Hertz hired an AI company so that his clients felt safe by returning cars. Are more insecure than ever

August 3, 2025 by usatoday24

“I only have one problem, I am too perfectionist.” No, if you have thought about saying this in your next job interview, I would say you park the idea aside. And I would say that it is not the best idea if you want the work to move forward efficiently. It can be very effective but very little efficient. If you have doubts, ask Hertz. What happened? Hertz is one of the large rental cars companies. In his search to clarify the possible conflicts with customers about whether or not that scrape was before taking the car keys, the company associated with Uveye in April and since then it has been deploying verifier tunnels in the airports that analyze the state of the car. In its statementHertz pointed out that “AI -driven camera systems and Uveye automatic learning algorithms allow automated inspections in real time of the body, glass or tires.” The ultimate goal is to give “greater precision to our maintenance process, so that we can focus on our vehicles being ready when and where our customers want them.” Too much precision. And what if they have achieved precision. As soon as a few months have passed before the company has to face its first controversy. At the International Airport Hartsfield-Jackson From Atlanta, in the US, the system has already been mounted and one of the clients already knows what it is to face the scrutiny of the AI. Patrick, a client who had rented a Hertz car, found a $ 440 sanction by the company. This alleges that the customer marked the car with a scratch of 2.5 centimeters. With the contract signed by Patrick, the company defends that the driver must pay almost half of that amount for the repair of the car and, in addition, pay $ 125 for the processing and another $ 65 to administrative expenses. This reached the sum of more than 400 dollars. Nail clients. The client, they explain in The Drivehe refused to pay for the damage after seeing the images provided by the company that, through an application they advanced that, as if it were the soon payment of a fine of the DGT, he would receive a bonus of 50 euros. But Patrick’s case is not the only one. Carscoop He explains that more than one client has had problems with the artificial intelligence system that Hertz’s cars is reviewing. The problem, they say, is that the system is failing on some occasions, either ignoring friction in cars or by giving bodies that do not have any damage. There is nothing. This last medium echoes a client who has told his Reddit experience (Akkasca of user name). There he presented his case. Before leaving the car at Houston airport, Texas, she checked that everything was in order. The tunnel passed without novelty but when he already set up to the terminal, a notification came to the mobile phone that there was a body damage. Strange, he went to the car again and found that the detail shown by the AI should only be a reflection. He decided to record a video and, subsequently, present it as proof to Hertz. However, he says, the rent is washed and says that she has to talk to those responsible for the company of AI who, in turn, have dismissed the video in which nothing is seen. This is not. Chaos has also been followed by New York Post. The media indicates that among the few solutions that are there is, obviously, not to rent a Hertz car where they have implemented the tunnels with AI. The problem: at the end of the year they hope to have 100 operating tunnels distributed throughout the United States. The problem would be such if it were not for the small detail that the AI is not only being extremely careful on some occasions or making errors for the incident light in the body. As if that were not enough, there are friction that does not contemplate and, therefore, the next client runs the risk of being accused of touching a car that was already damaged. The solution should be to record a video in which the status of the car is shown before getting on it but we have already seen that in case of error Hertz’s clients are not obtaining the best response from the company. In fact, The New York Times It tells the story of a client who was sanctioned by the AI with more than $ 100 dollars despite the fact that a Hertz employee had verified that the car had been delivered correctly. Photo | Uveye In Xataka | We are less and less owners of our cars. The renting in Spain accelerates even between individuals

Jeff Bezos’s space company has advanced Spacex in a key milestone to go to the moon and Mars: zero evaporation

August 2, 2025 by usatoday24

One of the biggest obstacles to a mission to Mars is not the distance or travel time. It is the fuel. To send a manned ship, NASA estimates that dozens of Cryogenic propellant tons stored for weeks or months. But those liquids do not behave like on earth: in a vacuum, exposed to heat and without gravity, They are slowly evaporating even if the tank is perfectly sealed. That phenomenon, known as Boil-offforces to release the generated gas so that the pressure does not rise dangerously inside the tank. It is a constant loss that, in a long -term mission, can mean tons of tons of fuel lying to space. Therefore, developing tanks capable of preserving this propellant at safe pressure and without losses, which is known as zero evaporation technology, has become a technical requirement to go beyond the low orbit. Zero evaporation: the technical challenge that separates the orbit low from the rest of the solar system Blue Origin claims to have taken an important step To solve that problem. Jeff Bezos’ company has managed to maintain liquid oxygen and hydrogen in stable conditions, without evaporation, using Hardware flight prototype In earth tests (Blue Origin has not detailed whether it is vacuum thermal cameras or conventional banks). Dave clean announced itits CEO, as part of the lunar permanence program, stating that they already meet all the objectives set by NASA in this area. Click to see the publication in x The result is not less: we talk about conserving hydrogen at 20 Kelvin and oxygen to 90 Kelvin, two extreme temperatures, during sustained periods. This makes Blue Origin – which we know – the first private company that publicly and explicitly communicates a zero evaporation condition in cryogenic propelants. In the absence of this technology to vuele and demonstrate in orbit, what is achieved represents the most tangible advance so far towards tanks capable of storing liquid fuel without losses, a key piece to operate ships on the moon or Mars. Storing loss without space is not just a matter of good materials. It is a constant battle against physics. Even the best thermal insulation ends up giving in. Therefore, the path to zero evaporation goes through active solutions that cool the deposit from within. NASA has investigated two: The sub -housing jet and microgotes injectiontwo methods that allow to reduce the steam temperature and prevent internal pressure. Blue Origin has not detailed which of the two uses, but the logic points to the sub -deputy jet, The only tested method So far in microgravity by NASA. It consists of directing a very cold liquid jet where the steam is accumulated. When condensing it, it is avoided that the pressure rises and it is not necessary to release gas. It is a technologically complex system, but so far it has demonstrated greater efficacy and stability in test conditions. Long before Blue Origin announced its advance, NASA had already tested these systems In space. The ZBOT program, deployed aboard the International Space Station, allowed us to observe how a microgravity propellant tank behaves. One of its main discoveries was that the Interaction between the sub -housing jet and steam It does not follow the classic rules we know on earth. The Blue Origin cryogenic system during the ground tests of its zero evaporation technology In ZBOT-1, not only was it possible to control internal pressure with active mixture. Unexpected phenomena were also detected as cavitation, sudden formation of bubbles or flow alterations that could affect the stability of the system. That information – obtained with sensors, cameras and laser measurement systems – has served several companies, including Blue Origin, to design tanks capable of functioning stable in extreme environments. Spacex has not yet announced a zero evaporation solution as such. But that It does not mean that I am not working on it. In collaboration with NASA, The company has developed A cryogenic architecture oriented to reduced evaporation, which has already been validated in flight. In March 2025Starship made a Internal transfer of liquid oxygen in spacedemonstrating that he could move fuel and control his pressure without losing it excessively. NASA Artistic Recreation Although Spacex and Blue Origin are addressing the same general challenge – almaceinar propelants in space without losses – do not work with the same fuels or face the same level of thermal difficulty. Spacex uses liquid methane and liquid oxygen, while Blue Origin works with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. That difference is key. Liquid hydrogen must be maintained to one much lower temperature than that of methane or even that of oxygen. In addition, hydrogen is less dense, more prone to escape and much more difficult to isolate. Achieving zero evaporation conditions with hydrogen is therefore a major technical challenge. The advance announced by Blue Origin is not only significant by the result, but by the type of fuel with which it has achieved it. When talking about going to Mars, you often think of rockets, habitats or space costumes. But one of the most serious bottleneck is in something much more basic: conserve fuel. In a long -lasting mission, the propellant is not used at once. You have to store it, transfer it and, many times, keep it operational for weeks without being lost by evaporation. That makes zero evaporation technology a key piece for both future interplanetary missions and missions Artemis To the moon. Images | Blue Origin (1, 2) | POT | Xataka with Grok In Xataka | Spain is very excited about the three eclipses that will arrive between 2026 and 2028. The government is worried

Toyota already knows that the gap with Tesla and Byd has its origin in its Japanese company culture

August 1, 2025 by usatoday24

We are living the future. The transition to the electric car and how this is being carried out will define what we will see in the coming years. With a changing political environment, hard emission regulations for Europe And a Chinese market that seems to Just look at borders insidethe investments that are made and the focus of how the future is faced will be key. Right now, saying what will be the design of a traditional car brand to ten or fifteen views is little less than adventurous. There are those who assume that Tesla has reached her roofthat Chinese manufacturers have complicated to follow Breaking barriers (economic and psychological in consumers) and that Toyota, very conservative, is the one who is playing the smartest game. And there are those that defend with cape and sword that Tesla has created a new way of understanding the vehicle, based on software. Also that China carries the front and that it is only a matter of time that we embrace throughout Europe the Byd, Nio, Xpeng and, of course, Xiaomi proposals. They are usually the same as they point out that Toyota is only taking the first steps of their decline or, at least, a logical setback given its brand strategy. Be that as it may, decade and a half will have to know who is right. However, we must recognize the latter who, in part, Toyota is concerned about how things advance internally. Also that you are taking measures to solve it. And that your business culture is key. The software as an example of a major problem We counted a few weeks ago that in Toyota they were worried about the way of working in the company. In their collaboration with Byd in China they had discovered that the company of the neighboring country worked at a devilish pace implementing changes in record time. They explained then in Reuters that much of the secret were in the evidence that each new change passed before being approved. While European manufacturers made thousands of kilometers before giving green light to each small modification, Chinese brands preferred put it as soon as possible on the street And, if necessary, apply changes when the vehicle development phase was already very advanced. That cultural shock is even more pronounced with Chinese manufacturers. Consulting specialized in the automobile market have already advanced to Toyota and the rest of Japanese manufacturers that their business culture, in which it is about working on the same concept and repeatedly improve it in search of perfection, is outdated. Then the Caseoft company already encouraged them to expedite the deadlines and think about electric cars from scratch and not only as a purely electric alternative of their combustion cars. This would allow them to save on components (applying plastic instead of more noble materials) and directly eliminate some of them (such as reinforcements that make sense not to transmit vibrations inside the car but lack them when what moves the vehicle is a combustion engine). On that path to adapt to the new times, Bloomberg Explain that Toyota has hired Code Chrysalisa Start Up based in Tokyo specialized in software development. That consultant says that Toyota has already understood the importance that software will play in the future but “remains slow.” Code Chrysalis is organizing intensive camps in Silicon Valley to improve the programming knowledge of Toyota employees With the latest ads about its upcoming electric cars and plug -in hybrids, Toyota confirmed that had worked in software completely renewed and anticipated that they would show more details when these cars are launched to the street. In the presentation of the new TOYOTA RAV4 It was specified that we were facing “the first step towards vehicles fully defined by software.” Already in May, Financial Times He echoed that Toyota had put a greater effort to evolve his software, understanding that in the future it will be a purchase value (if it is not already). With them, we knew that Toyota looked at Chinawith the aim of evolving and learning from those who have revolutionized the interior of their vehicles. Now we also know that, by the hand of Code Crysalis, the company is organizing camps in Silicon Valley to learn coding intensively and then try to replicate what they learned in its future models. However, in Bloomberg They point out that part of these chosen employees are disappointed Because they understand that efforts are still insufficient. In fact, the media indicates that the division designed to develop software has not been directly integrated into the vehicle development chain and that, among hands, have digitalization projects that affect the entire company. For some of the workers, the strategy is still too conservative. In your information, Bloomberg He explains that the company follows a too conservative philosophy in which those who have a long curriculum within the company are greatly rewarded and the labor harmony over risks. They put as an example the case of a worker interested in autonomous driving who, however, when he entered the company, he was doing a quality control of low importance quality. It is just another example of what Toyota defends as Kaizen philosophy. A business culture directly linked to a philosophical posture in which it is preferred to improve until the exhaustion is known before taking a new product and starting from scratch, on a blank paper. It is not accidental, therefore, that the company’s strategy is (at least for the moment) strikingly conservative. Toyota does not stop repeating that they will sell the proper car (electric, plug -in hybrid or combustion vehicle) In the right market. At the same time, what is undeniable is that they have a five years being the company that sells the most cars. The big doubt is whether in decade and a half we will be talking about the first steps of its stagnation or the winning strategy in front of a competition that launched into the arms … Read more

A car rental company has fined a customer with 100 euros for smoking behind the wheel. The only problem is that he never did

July 31, 2025 by usatoday24

Should you smoke inside the car? The debate is a pédiagudo and has gained strength in Spain in recent weeks after the balloon was dropped that smoking could be prohibited from the wheel in our country. The reasons wielded range from the health of the rest of the passengers (especially if the driver travels with children) to the possible distractions that a cigarette can cause. But where Smoking is prohibited It is in rental cars or in shared car services. That is what a driver has discovered to whom a company the carsharing platform Thousandsvery widespread in Berlin, has punished with 100 euros of sanction because it ensures that it briefly smoked up to four times. However, the driver alleges that this is not possible. He says not only that he has not smoked in the car, he emphasizes that he is not even a smoker. A black box for smokers The story is brought by our German companions of Gamestar Tech. They explain that, as in Spain, neither in their carsharing vehicles is allowed to smoke. To control it, cars have a small smoke detector that launches a sound warning when it records that someone inside the vehicle is smoking. According to the company, this notice rang up to four times on a three -kilometer journey that lasted 10 minutes. The driver does recognize that the detector rang but defends himself by ensuring that he is not a smoker and that, of course, he did not smoked inside the car. In your article, Gamestar Tech It shows the activity peaks registered by the smoke detector in which the four, supposed, smoke snacks that the driver expelled. The sanction on the part of the company is 100 euros but the driver says he has no intention of paying it. To try to get rid of the fine, the sanctioned contacted thousands, the carsharing company, but these were limited to showing the report with the four peaks of activity. As in the case of defective AI When reviewing the damage to a rental car, we are facing the evidence that the driver and the company are in unequal positions because one has alleged activity records and the driver has no way to prove that it is A “non -smoker”. Although the case of this driver is the last one, it is not much less unique. In social networks You can read similar complaints of other drivers who have had problems with the service of Miles, ensuring that the detector began to whistle without having reasons for it. In all testimonies a sanction is mentioned by the company of 100 euros. Some even point out that they have charged this amount up to three occasions. In the case of thousands, the detector is designed by Bosch and it is common to find them in rental vehicles. In the Consumer Information Association Austrian highlights the case of a driver who lived a similar situation. This time with a rental car and an economic punishment that reached 300 euros. The Bosch system boasts to be able to discern if a person has smoked or simply has a smell of tobacco impregnated in clothes. Therefore, I should be able to discriminate if really The driver has given or not a draft to cigarette. In addition, they claim to use artificial intelligence to send a signal to the center that manages fleets when the detector has been activated to give notice and, thus, to be able to manage the car cleaning more quickly. Photo | Thousands Mobility and Hans Isaacson In Xataka | Smoking ends on the terraces and beaches: socially makes sense, scientifically not so much

This company was 158 years old and 700 employees. A weak password and click were enough to take it to bankruptcy

July 23, 2025 by usatoday24

Imagine that you are working in a logistics company, of those that are responsible for managing the entire process so that a product arrives from one point to another, such as those that Amazon’s orders bring to us when we make a purchase, and that from one moment to another all the necessary systems to make the business stop working Due to a cyber attack. What would happen? If the systems do not return to normal, it would probably be a matter of time for the company to pay the consequences. Of course, such a scenario should be avoided with cybersecurity measures, protocols, backups and others. But, let’s be sincere, not everyone is prepared as they should face security threats, even when they have the ability to severely damage or destroy your business. This is what has apparently happened to a British business group called KNPwhich operated 500 trucks under several companies, including a call Knights of Old. When cybersecurity fails, the business can sink The KNP CEO, Paul Abbott, He said in an interview with the BBC That it is believed that a group of cybercriminals managed to infiltrate the systems by guessing the password of one of its employees. What the group of malicious actors did, apparently called Akira, was Straw the data With a ransomware. “If you are reading this, it means that your company’s internal infrastructure is totally or partially dead …”, he said part of the rescue note that, curiously, did not include a specific rescue figure. While the latter may seem unusual, it is also somewhat understandable. Some groups of cybercriminals They have even their own support mechanismswhere they can talk and negotiate with their victims. Recall that the final objective is usually to earn money, so we would rarely see a rescue figure high enough so that the attacked does not meet, but strong enough for the movement to mean some gain. It did not transcend how much money the cybercriminals requested, but it is known that, according to the company, They did not have the money To make the rescue payment. The aforementioned British media collects the analysis of specialists that points to 5 million pounds (about 5.7 million euros). The amount of money, they point out, was unassumable for the company. It is not clear if from the firm they continued to negotiate with the group, but explain that by the end of 2023 the data “were lost” and the company soon declared themselves in bankruptcy. Most employees were dismissed (about 730) and only 170, from one of the companies, called Nelson Distribution, based in Derby, retained their job, but this company was sold. This was the sad outcome for a firm with more than 150 years old. It is likely that after reading this, many questions will come to mind, for example, about the preventive and mitigation measures of which we talked to the beginning. According to those responsible, KNP complied with industry standards and had insurance against cyber attacks. Apparently none of this was enough. Nor do we know if the company already dragged some kind of previous problem and the cyber attack what it did was complicate everything. It is not a unique case. QUALYSEC warns that 60% of small businesses that suffer a cyber attack end up closing in the following six months for not having sufficient resources to recover. A report from Verizon in 2020 already underlined That same figure, highlighting the financial damage, the loss of reputation, the distrust of the clients and the operating chaos that leaves an attack. Images | Man Truck & Bus UK | Freepik In Xataka | Spain gave Huawei the storage of judicial telephone listeners. Now the United States and the EU have questions

The 22 -year CEO of a Tech company that demands 80 hours a week to its workers

July 21, 2025 by usatoday24

In Silicon Valley, a new generation of technological entrepreneurs He is turning his back to the traditional workday of 40 hours. A case that has generated a heated debate is that of Daksh Gupta, founder and CEO of the STARTUP GREPTILwho has implemented an extreme day model that has raised a large dust in the Reddit threads. Gupta, only 22 years old, considers that working 80 hours per week is not only not excessive, but is necessary to survive in the current technology industry. An extreme workday. Daksh Gupta published in late 2024 in Your X profile That his company did not offer any type of conciliation between working and personal life, literally affirming: “Greptile does not offer balance between working and personal life.” As he said in that same message, the days in his company begin at 9:00 and end at 23:00 or even later. “We also work on Saturdays and sometimes on Sundays. I emphasize that the environment is very stressful and that poor work is not tolerated,” the CEO added without ambiguity. The work culture defended by Gupta shows An important change Among the managers and founders of Silicon Valley, who are erasing the boundaries between working and personal life. What was traditionally understood as labor exploitation, some see it now as An extreme form of commitment professional. In the case of Greptile, this commitment can mean days of 14 hours from Monday to Sunday. Competition as justification. In one Interview with Inc.comGupta argues that this time demand responds to the reality of technological startups. The CEO declared that “this is an extremely competitive space. Nobody cares about the third best company, not even the second best, in any software category. If you are going to strive 95%, it is the equivalent of striving to 0%.” His position generated an intense debate on networks and, as confirmed in Your X profilehe received numerous criticisms and even death threats for applying this policy. Gupta, however, insists that changing his work form would mean a competitive disadvantage that cannot be allowed. “We face very intense competition,” he said to justify the sacrifices required by his employees. Silicon Valley and the culture of hyperproductivity. What for many may seem an unsustainable work excess, in Silicon Valley begins to become a norm, such and as they publish in The confidential. The so -called “new culture of effort” to which Daksh Gupta gave visibility, is referring to figures such as Elon Musk, who has publicly defended The extreme days. “No one has changed the world working 40 hours a week,” said the millionaire CEO of Tesla in one of Your messages in x. At the same time, Tesla’s own investors They asked the tycoon Dedicate at least 40 hours a week to do your job as the CEO of the electric car manufacturer. Another outstanding name of this new culture of the eternal working days is Serguéi Brin, co -founder of Google, which also asked his employees a minimum of 60 working hours per week. The era of offices with ping-pong tables And free food has given way to marathon days where, literally, workers are expected to live for the company. As I said Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn, work from 9 to 5 as we know it, is in danger of extinction. AI was going to end the eternal days. Beyond the regression in labor rights imposed on Silicon Valley, the most ironic thing is that these proposals for extreme days arrive precisely those companies that are developing AI models that promise reduce workload of workers. No less ironic it turns out that companies like Microsoft or Google ensure that between 25 and 30% of its code is already generated with AI agents, and at the same time they have hardened performance demands and commitment to carry out longer days, under the Shadow of mass layoffs. In Xataka | Lucy Guo, co -founder of Scale Ai, bets everything at 996: “If you want to leave at 5 you are not at the right work” Image | Unspash (Aluminum dissemboweler3000)

They are manufactured by an anonymous company in Valencia

July 16, 2025 by usatoday24

If (like who writes), some cana already most likely remembers names such as Frigopie, Mikobruja, Mikopete or Colleaget, among a long list of ice cream brands that you recognized with the naked eye on the posters of the beach beach bar. Today The kingdom of Spanish ice cream It is quite different. Reigns the white brand, which monopolizes 70% of the market, and with it they gain weight in the freezing freezers almost unknown to the general public. The best test leaves Mercadona. The rematch of the white mark. It is nothing new. Nor exclusive to the ice cream industry. For a long time, Spain’s supermarkets see how the white brand monopolizes more and more space In its lines and is done with a larger hole in the shopping baskets. There are data that demonstrates it clearly. Last year Kantar published A report which reveals that in just five years, between 2018 and 2023, the presence of white brand products has increased by 13% In the big supermarkets. Opposite direction have followed the goods of “brand of the manufacturer”, whose weight in the linear was reduced about 23%. “There are no brands”. In some national chains that loss of land of the “manufacturer brands” would have even been greater. According to Kantar’s calculationsin Dia and Mercadona the assortment was reduced more than 40% during the same period, in Eroski the decrease exceeded 30% and in Carrefour and Alcampo approached 20%. The result? In a good part of the categories of supermarkets, house brands already represent the vast majority (65%) of the assortment. “There are many in which there are no brands. It is not less, it is that there is,” summed up A year ago in the Bear Consumption Director, César Valencoso. Goodbye Frigopie, Hello landowner. In that context surprises less Another recent report of Kantar that focuses the focus on a very concrete niche: that of ice cream. After examining sales, the consultant found that the brands associated with the distributors have imposed on others recognizable and with a long journey in the sector, such as Frigo, La Milk, Maxibon or Häagen-Dazs. And there is a fact that demonstrates it roundingly. According to the consultant’s records, the first, the teachings of the chains themselves (landowner, eroski or auchan, to name three example) they are already monopolized 68.5% of the market value. That growing weight of white brands responds to several reasons. The main one, the price. In many cases, the chains have been able to offer their clients white brand brands similar to those of the competition, but at more tight prices. And that is a fundamental advantage. In 2024 AECOC elaborated a survey that shows that rates remain the decisive factor for 73% of consumers. A name: Estiu. That growing role of white brands in the refrigerator industry has led to a peculiar situation: one of the great ice cream manufacturers in Spain is unknown to most of its customers, who can consume their cakes, Mochis and sandwiches daily without ever heard its name. The reason? When they buy them in the boxes there is another brand that is recognizable for them, landowner, the food firm of Mercadona. Last year Juan Roig’s chain remained the main supermarket operator in Spain, with a 26.6% market share in food distribution. Beyond that figure, if the company stands out for something, it is for its commitment to white brand items, including landowners. A quick search in Your online catalog It shows however that their articles come from other manufacturers, such as Aiadhesa (Alicante), Lacrem (Barcelona) and above all Ice cream Estiua company founded in 1983 based in Ribarroja del Túria, Valencia. Their names do not appear large on the front of the boxes (there is the brand of Mercadona), but it is found on the back. A fact: 8.8 million. The weight of Mercadona and the pull of white brands, among other factors, has allowed ice cream to close 2024 with a balance more than acceptable despite being located in an area punished by the Dana. According to The data That he has just published and that Europa Press revealed a few days ago, last year the firm sold about 45 million liters of ice cream and reached a turnover of 150 million euros. Its benefits account stood at 8.8 million. The Mercadona supplier has also seen how its workforce increased by 8% and mobilized investments worth almost seven million euros, raising the total amount of the last five years above the 43 million. Although your case is especially interesting, it’s not The only Spanish ice cream manufacturer that has supported part of its production in the supply for white brands. Image | Liam Shaw (UNSPLASH) In Xataka | Is it healthy to eat an ice cream each and every day of summer? Science already has an answer

Stellantis wanted to conquer China with his combustion cars. What has happened to almost any other western company has happened

July 15, 2025 by usatoday24

The Changsha court has finally declared bankruptcy The Gac-Fiat Chrysler Automobiles joint company, thus closing the final chapter of Stellantis in the Asian giant. The news was already expected since 2022 when the group came into liquidation. After debts equivalent to more than 1.1 billion dollars and five failed public auctions, the dream of conquering the largest world car market ends in failure. The end of a 15 -year adventure. The Joint Venture GAC-FCA was born in 2011 With huge ambitions: 17,000 million investment yuan, two production and capacity plants for 300,000 vehicles per year. Under the baton of Sergio Marchionne, the project intended to bring brands such as Jeep and Fiat to the Chinese market with models adapted to local needs and trends, including the Jeep Renegade, Compass and Cherokee, in addition to the Fiat Viaggio and Ottimo. Free fall after initial success. After reaching its peak in 2017 With more than 200,000 units soldGac-FCA experienced an unstoppable descent. Sales collapsed to 124,780 units in 2018, continued to fall in 2019 and reduced just 20,396 units in 2021. Insufficient numbers for a market of more than 25 million vehicles per year and a muscle like Gac-FCA. The problem of combustion engines in China. While the Chinese market turned to electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, Gac-FCA remained faithful to combustion engines. This strategy is over resulting fatal In a country where new technologies and electrification have become the norm. And it is that Chinese consumers have been opting for the electricity in an environment of high competitiveness between automobile manufacturers. The failed attempt to save yourself. In 2022, Carlos Tavares tried to recover control increasing Stellantis’s participation From 50% to 75%, but GAC publicly rejected the maneuver. The joint company entered into a restructuring process and, subsequently, in liquidation. Five public auctions to sell land, equipment and the two factories were deserted, something common in China where it is more profitable to build from zero electric vehicles. Historical symbolism. Stellantis withdrawal marks the end of a historic era. Jeep was the first foreign brand to make cars in China when AMC invested 16 million dollars in 1983 To produce the Cherokee XJ. Peugeot contributed in the mid -80s to the creation of GAC as a car manufacturer, transforming what was a bus repair workshop into a company produced by Peugeot 505. Citroën arrived in 1992 and came to manufacture 719,000 cars in 2015. Another western company in China Fallida. Stellantis’s case is not isolated. Is Another great western company that perishes in China Given the high competition, aggressive and regulatory costs of the country. It is the example that you don’t care who you are. Even Stellantis, the world’s largest car group (in terms of volume of brands and models), which began as a Peugeot partner and now has a full range of electric vehicles of its own creation, has not even been able to adapt to the Chinese market. The new strategy: ally with China. Paradoxically, after leaving China as a manufacturer, Stellantis returned as a investor. Carlos Tavares bought in 2023 21% of Leapmotora Chinese company of electric vehicles, with the intention of sell these cars in Europe “With a great margin of benefits.” A strategy that reflects the new reality: if you cannot compete with China, join it. Cover image | Dinkun Chen In Xataka | The most ambitious shopping center in China is not formed to sell: the Wushang Dream was a mini -city with a roof

Deepseek marked a turning point in the AI race. Now another Chinese company wants to imitate its success: Kimi K2 is born

July 14, 2025 by usatoday24

The Chinese startup Monshot AI has presented Kimi K2, an open -source artificial intelligence model that arrives with outstanding programming capabilities and autonomous tasks that, according to The published benchmarksThey spray competition in several of their models. Its launch occurs at a key moment for the sector, when Chinese companies seek to replicate the disruptive success of Deepseek with potential height models and much cheaper than market alternatives. Kimi does not come from nothing. MoNshot ai was one of the most promising startups in the Chinese ecosystem of AI and that giants like Alibaba have invested greatly. His Kimi chatbot reached third place in monthly active users in August 2024, but fell to the seventh in June After the emergence of Deepseek R1 in January. Now try to recover ground with a strategy that combines open source and aggressive prices, following the formula that catapulted Deepseek. Image: MoNshot AI What Kimi K2 offers. The model has 1 billion total parameters and 32,000 million activated parameters, using The well-known Mixture-Of-Experts architecture to optimize computational costs. It is presented in two versions: a base for researchers and developers, and another optimized for conversation and autonomous tasks. Kimi K2 thus becomes Moonshot AI’s proposal with the ability to act as an intelligent agent to use tools, write code, complete workflows or talk, among other tasks. Kimi K2 explained in numbers. In performance testsKimi K2 has achieved 65.8% precision at Swe-Bench Verified, one of the most demanding benchmarks for software engineering. In LivecodeBench it reached 53.7%, exceeding 46.9% of Deepseek-V3 and 44.7% of GPT-4.1. In mathematics, its 97.4% score in Math-500 exceeds 92.4% of GPT-4.1, suggesting significant advances in mathematical reasoning. The price factor. MoNshot is charging $ 0.15 per million input tokens and $ 2.50 per million tokens out of the developers who use their API. Compared, Claude Opus 4 It charges 100 times more for the entrance (15 dollars) and 30 times more for the output ($ 75), while GPT-4.1 charges 2 dollars per entrance and 8 per exit. In addition, the model is available for free in Web applications and Kimi mobile, without monthly subscriptions that require chatgpt or Claude for their most advanced models. Technical innovation. MoNshot has developed the MuCanclip optimizer, which allows train models of one billion parameters “With zero training instability.” This technology could drastically reduce the training costs of large models, a problem that has limited the development of AI to companies with greater resources. Double channel strategy. The company offers so much Free access to the source code as payment API at a very competitive price. This strategy allows companies to start with the API for immediate implementation and then migrate to self -healing versions either by regulatory cost or compliance. And it is that each developer who downloads Kimi K2 becomes a potential business client. Moment of inflection. Kimi K2 represents a convergence point where open source models and proprietary alternatives shake hands. MoNshot AI intends to turn Kimi into a tool for everything, while offering its open source model and is reserved to charge for the use of its API for all types of implementations. And now what. The launch reaches a critical point in which both Openai, such as Google or Anthropic, must respond to this wave of cheap and high quality language models. The issue is no longer whether open source models can match the owners, but if large technological ones can adapt their business models fast enough to compete in this new scenario. The looks are put in GPT-5 And in the next movements of the industry at a rate, as always, accelerated. Cover image | Xataka with Mockuuuups Studio and Kimi AI In Xataka | Grok 4 destroys the tests and aims to be the most advanced AI model. The problem is that Elon Musk continues to sabotage his answers

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