Tesla Tops US Car Maker Valuation; iPhone 12-2 Months Late?; Big Tech Anti-Trust Hearing; TuSimple Aims for Autonomous Freight Net

It’s mainly bragging rights, but In 10 years, Tesla has gone from public market newbie to the most valuable automaker in the world by market value. Techcrunch.com reports that in January, Tesla became the most valuable U.S. automaker ever when its market cap hit $81.39 billion. The company’s market capitalization now stands at nearly $208 billion, surpassing Toyota to become the world most valuable automaker by market value. Toyota’s market cap is $203.21 billion.

A new report today suggests that iPhone 12 production is now 1-2 months behind schedule due to impact of the coronavirus crisis. According to 9to5mac.com, It says that the current position is ‘months of delay’ to mass production, but that Apple and its suppliers are working flat out to make up for lost time …Nikkei’s report says Apple is facing delays of between four weeks and two months for mass production of the four models in its 5G lineup after postponements caused by factory lockdowns and workplace absences during the pandemic But sources said Apple has aggressively tried to cut delays and was now less likely to face a worst-case scenario of postponing the launch until 2021. Another recent supply chain report indicated that iPhone 12 production was on track for a September launch. I’

The CEOs of Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon are slated to appear at an antitrust hearing late this month according to a report Wednesday. Recode says the news came from Rep. David Cicilline (Sis-sa-lean’-ee) and will see Apple’s Tim Cook, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Alphabet’s Sundar Pichai and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos testify for the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee. The report follows Cicilline saying in May he would subpoena Bezos to appear at the antitrust hearing after sending an open letter to Bezos calling for his testimony. Bezos agreed to appear in June.

Ahead of the commercial rollout of its driverless trucks by 2024, TuSimple has outlined the launch of what it’s calling the world’s first autonomous freight network. In partnership with UPS, Penske, U.S. Xpress, and McLane Company, TuSimple plans to establish an “ecosystem” of autonomous trucks, complemented by digitally mapped routes, strategically placed terminals, and a monitoring system dubbed TuSimple Connect. Venturebeat.com reports that the company believes the autonomous freight network is the “safest” and “most efficient” way to bring self-driving trucks to market.