Author: admin

• Tesla just scored a mega sales beat, but it didn’t stopped its stock from getting punished by investors.
• Shares dropped 8% despite deliveries rising 25% year over year.
• The company’s EV business is still going strong, even as Musk bets on robotaxis and humanoid robots.

Tesla’s deliveries show sales are bouncing back — but investors still dumped the stock on Thursday.

Shares of Elon Musk’s EV maker dropped as much as 8% on Thursday despite the firm blowing past Wall Street’s delivery estimates for the second quarter. If the losses hold, it’ll mark Tesla’s worst single-day loss in a year.

Tesla delivered 480,126 EVs in the second quarter, up 25% year-over-year. The figures handily beat Wall Street’s expectations, given the consensus estimate for 396,466 EVs for the quarter, according to Bloomberg. A separate company-compiled consensus suggested deliveries would reach 406,024 vehicles.

The latest figures are a sign that Tesla sales have largely recovered from a wave of anti-Elon Musk backlash in 2025 and a steep decline in the wider US EV market.

Shares ticked higher 2% in early morning trading before sinking into the red in the afternoon. The stock, which has weathered a volatile few years amid Musk’s growing involvement in US politics, is down 10% year-to-date.

Like many of its rivals, Tesla has been battling a so-called “EV winter” in the US following the end of the $7,500 tax credit for new electric vehicles in September.

Total US electric vehicle sales fell 27% in the first three months of the year, according to data from Cox Automotive, and a wave of electric vehicle models has since vanished from the market as automakers roll back ambitious EV targets amid weak demand.

However, a spike in gas prices due to the war in the Middle East appears to have given the industry a shot in the arm. Data from Kelley Blue Book, an automotive research firm, estimates EV sales in the US topped 85,000 in May, the highest since the EV tax credit was scrapped in September 2025.

In February, before the war began, average US gas prices were just under $3 per gallon. They peaked in May at about $4.56 per gallon, according to AAA.

Stephanie Valdez-Streaty, Cox Automotive’s director of industry insights, told Business Insider that Tesla’s second-quarter sales have been boosted by high gas prices.

That boost mainly came from markets like Europe, which have seen an EV sales boom in recent months, Valdez-Streaty said. Meanwhile, she added, growth of alternative fuel vehicles in the US has been focused on hybrids — which Tesla doesn’t sell.

“If you think about the European market and the Chinese market, Tesla definitely benefited from those high gas prices,” she said.

In a June note, analysts at Goldman Sachs wrote that they expect EV adoption to accelerate in the coming years, ultimately pushing oil prices down.

All eyes on robotaxis

For Tesla, the latest figures show that its underlying EV business remains strong, even as the company pivots away from it.

In January, Musk said Tesla would end production of its premium Model S and X vehicles to free up factory space for its Optimus humanoid robot, which is set to start production this summer.

Tesla is also ramping up production of its Cybercab, a gold-colored robotaxi that doesn’t have a steering wheel or pedals. The company’s wider robotaxi rollout has been sluggish so far, however, with only a few dozen vehicles operating in Austin, Houston, and Dallas a year after the service began.

The EV pioneer has been eclipsed in recent weeks by Musk’s other public company, SpaceX, which raised $85 billion in a record-breaking IPO and is now valued at almost $480 billion more than Tesla.

SpaceX’s stock market surge has led some Tesla investors to suggest that the two companies should merge. Speaking before SpaceX went public, the rocket maker’s president, Gwynne Shotwell, didn’t rule it out.

“That might make Elon’s life a little easier, actually,” she said.

“There’s no question that there’s synergies between Tesla and SpaceX in our futures, definitely, there’s a convergence of a kind of what we’re all trying to accomplish in the future,” Shotwell added.

• Software engineers are asking themselves why they’re suddenly on the chopping block in the AI age.
• Famed engineer Kent Beck said it’s not just because AI can do some of their work.
• It’s because “we’re kind of assholes, sometimes,” he said.

Software engineers are among the most prized talent at any tech company, so why are they suddenly one of the most vulnerable species of the AI boom?

On a recent episode of “The Pragmatic Engineer,” famed software engineer Kent Beck gave a pretty blunt answer: “We’re kind of assholes, sometimes.”

Software engineers, no matter their level of technical expertise, tend to lack some of the softer skills that are prized in the workplace, he said.

“We don’t necessarily have good emotional regulation skills. We don’t have natural empathy,” he said. “We’re oftentimes more direct than other people can easily handle.” Those, at least, are some of the more “hideous” qualities of a typical software engineer, he said.

As AI changes everything, those softer skills can now make or break a technical career.

As AI writes more code, companies are asking engineers to review, direct, and manage AI-generated work rather than produce every line themselves. Vibecoding is now a commonplace practice in the software industry, enabling seasoned coders to build prototypes more quickly and non-coders to turn their ideas into pilots.

It is also blurring the line between engineering and product work. Anthropic’s head of growth, Amol Avasare, told Business Insider that engineers using tools like Claude Code are seeing their productivity increase by two to three times, putting new pressure on product managers and designers.

That all means companies are now often asking software engineers to take on more product management tasks, which require more interaction with human colleagues.

For smaller projects, he said, Anthropic is already asking engineers to act as “mini PMs,” taking responsibility not just for the code but also for stakeholder coordination and cross-functional work. The rise of that hybrid “product engineer” role suggests that the most valuable engineers may be the ones who can pair technical chops with product judgment and people skills.

Kent described the need for programmers to learn people skills as a “cosmic practical joke.”

He said when you get started coding, you are told that all you need to do is learn everything about this computer, and you’ll be fine. “And then oops sorry there’s this whole human side and your ability to affect change in the world is gated by your ability to communicate and empathize.”

• I’m a former Dollar Tree employee, and I still love buying certain items from the budget retailer.
• Dollar Tree is my go-to place for essentials like cotton balls, bleach, and dog waste bags.
• I exclusively get my greeting cards and gift bags at Dollar Tree — the chain has a great variety.

Even though I no longer work at Dollar Tree, I still shop there all the time.

The discount retailer can be great for those of us trying to live a budget-friendly life, since most items are $1.25 each. Not everything at the chain is a great value, in my opinion, but I’ve found some excellent products over the years.

Here are a few Dollar Tree finds I swear by and still purchase often.

Air-fryer liners come in handy.

Cleaning an air-fryer basket can be a real hassle, so these Surefresh liners feel like a necessity in my kitchen.

They help catch pesky crumbs that might otherwise fall deep into the appliance and burn.

A pack of 20 liners only costs me $1.25.

The plastic cups with sip lids are perfect for iced coffee.

I love starting my mornings with iced coffee, but after a long day at work, I dislike cleaning reusable cups that have been sitting out for hours.

So, I pay a little extra to put my drinks in disposable 20-ounce plastic cups that come with lids designed for sipping with or without a straw.

I used to spend $25 on 100-packs of similar cups elsewhere until I realized Dollar Tree’s bag of six for $1.25 was a better value. The price per cup is a few cents lower, and I don’t need to worry about storing so many cups at once in my home.

Dollar Tree is still the only place I’ll buy greeting cards.

I’ve seen drugstores and stationery stores charge $5 or more for greeting cards. Dollar Tree offers a wide variety of them that are two for $1.

There are options for virtually every occasion, from birthdays to graduations, and lots of them are from Hallmark. The selection is also updated seasonally.

All in all, I like saving money on a card so I have more to spend on a gift.

Disposable plates and platters are perfect for parties.

Dollar Tree is my go-to destination for affordable party supplies, especially when I need serving plates, platters, and bowls.

I’ve used these for chips, dips, finger foods, and appetizers — and I love not having to wash a huge pile of dishes once the party’s over.

The chain also sells disposable utensils, such as forks, spoons, ladles, and tongs, to make serving even easier.

I grab a car air freshener almost every time I go to Dollar Tree.

Everyone loves a nice-smelling car, and I appreciate that my local Dollar Tree has so many scents and styles of fresheners available for $1.25 a pop.

I’ve seen hanging tree-shaped fresheners, vent clips, and even scented diffusers that fit in cupholders, in scents ranging from fruity to clean to musky.

It’s easy for me to switch up my car’s scent whenever I want without spending a fortune.

If you have a dog, you may want to grab some waste bags.

Dollar Tree carries a wide variety of dog-waste bags in different designs, colors, and sizes.

These compact rolls are perfect for stashing in your bag, pocket, or car. Each pack typically has four rolls of 15 bags, plenty to last dozens of walks.

Plus, Dollar Tree usually also sells bag carriers and holders that clip onto backpacks or leashes. That way, you’ll never forget to bring bags on your walk.

Everyday essentials, like cotton swabs, balls, and pads, are easy to pick up from Dollar Tree.

I use cotton swabs, balls, and pads for a wide range of purposes, like removing makeup, treating minor cuts, and cleaning small surfaces.

For me, grabbing a pack of each at Dollar Tree whenever I run out feels like a no-brainer. The quality has impressed me, and the prices are generally lower than those I’ve seen at nearby drugstores.

I always head to Dollar Tree when I need to pack up a present.

To me, it feels wasteful to spend too much on gift bags — they’re usually used once and then tossed.

Fortunately, Dollar Tree stocks $1.25 bags in various sizes and designs for just about every occasion. Some of the smaller bags come in value packs of two or three, making them even more cost-effective.

I find it’s affordable to stock up on bleach at Dollar Tree.

For many households, including my own, bleach is a cleaning essential. It’s just $1.25 a gallon here — a few bucks cheaper than what I’ve seen at other stores.

If you can find it and use it frequently, definitely grab a few bottles. It used to fly off the shelves when I worked at Dollar Tree.

Dollar Tree was not involved in the sourcing or writing of this story. The views contained within represent the author’s personal views.

This story was originally published on June 12, 2025, and most recently updated on July 2, 2026.

Autodesk is making a $350 million investment in training and tools to help people learn how to use artificial intelligence, said Dara Treseder, the company’s chief marketing officer, in an interview at the 2026 Cannes Lions Festival.

Treseder cited insights gleaned from the company’s recent AI jobs report. “It showed that while 82% of people are very comfortable using LLMs in their daily lives, only a third of people are comfortable using AI in their job,” she said. In the report, respondents said they fear AI might not work properly or will make humans irrelevant.

“That education is so key, not only to give people the skills and the talent,” she said, “but to change the mindset.”

Laura Ness Owens, chief marketing officer at Bobcat, a manufacturer of compact construction and landscaping machines, said that she wants to meet customers where they are searching for information.

Previously, the customer journey could start with search and the company’s website, she said. “Today, many customers are going right to the large-language-models and saying, ‘I want the right loader for me, to do this type of work’, so they are skipping much of that research stage that we were able to guide.”

Owens says that product reviews, earned media, and dealer reviews factor into those LLM results. “You have to understand that the good, the bad, and the ugly are out there,” she said. “It’s pushed us to really focus greater on that customer experience.”

• The homes in Southwest Washington, DC, known as Wheat Row, were built in 1794.
• One of the properties is now on the market for $1.15 million.
• The home’s features include seven fireplaces and moldings that date back more than 200 years.

In 1794, there were just 15 states in the Union, Philadelphia was still the nation’s capital, and George Washington was leading armed forces through Pennsylvania to put down the Whiskey Rebellion.

That same year, a collection of rowhouses in Washington, DC, known as Wheat Row, was being constructed. They still stand today, and one of the homes is up for sale.

Located on 4th Street SW near Washington, DC’s Southwest waterfront, the home is listed for $1.15 million after a recent $150,000 price cut. The property blends historic character with updates designed for modern living, according to Eric Stewart, the home’s listing agent from Long & Foster Real Estate.

“It’s comfortable for contemporary living and enjoyment, but with the heart of classic colonialism,” Stewart told Business Insider.

The seller, a retired history professor, has an appreciation for the home’s past, according to Stewart. He added that the ideal buyer would carry this same appreciation.

“Everybody wants to be able to see something built in that era, but not everybody wants to live in a home from that age,” Stewart said.

The homes in Wheat Row are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and were among the first housing developments built in DC after it was chosen to become America’s capital city.

Today, the home is fitted with more modern amenities, sparing potential buyers the conditions the first residents endured before DC had a sewage system.

Take a look inside this historic Wheat Row home.

The homes on Wheat Row have had many different owners throughout their history.

The Wheat Row homes were constructed by James Greenleaf starting in 1794. The Wheat Row name comes from an early 19th-century resident of one of the homes, John Wheat, a gardener and messenger for the US Senate.

The buildings later took on non-residential functions in the mid-20th century. In the 1940s and ’50s, the Barney Neighborhood House, a community service organization, occupied multiple Wheat Row homes, including the one for sale. Other units were used as a location for the US Service Men’s Club and a daycare, according to the National Register of Historic Places.

With their inclusion in the Harbour Square development project in the ’60s, the homes all reverted back to residences.

Today, the 3,408 square-foot home is defined by its high ceilings and hardwood floors.

Though the four-floor home is narrow and compact, the 12-foot ceilings make for a spacious interior.

Hardwood floors cover nearly the entire house, including the stairs.

Handcrafted designs and other historic touches are seen throughout the house.

The home has eye-catching millwork in nearly every room. According to Stewart, the home’s wooden moldings date back to the 19th century and possibly earlier.

This extensive woodworking was common in this era of homes, with moldings and trims produced by skilled artisans influenced by European styles, according to Pebbles & Thorns Woodworking.

Chandeliers and colonial light fixtures appear throughout the house.

In multiple rooms, there are low-hanging chandeliers or candle-like light fixtures, once again defined by the colonial era.

Chandeliers were once a symbol of wealth and extravagance, and while that standard is still reflected in modern design, the introduction of electric lighting in the late 19th century allowed for more affordable chandeliers, per The Examiner News.

An elevator allows for easy access between the home’s four floors.

Even though the elevator was added in 2005, it has a classic charm, with all-wooden walls inside.

A kitchen renovated in the 1960s mixes retro with classic.

The home’s large kitchen was last renovated over half a century ago, meaning it would need about $100,000 of work to bring it into the modern era, by Stewart’s estimates.

Alternatively, a buyer could work to restore the kitchen’s true colonial look and feel with classic wooden cabinets and finishes.

The home has four bedrooms and two living spaces.

This not only creates the potential for multiple residents, but the home’s four different floors also allow for privacy.

It has four full bathrooms, plus a powder room.

The home’s 1950s bathrooms could also be renovated. One quirk is split bathrooms on the third and fourth floors — they have a shower and toilet/sink separated by a wall.

A total of seven fireplaces keep the house warm.

Common for the time period, the property’s centerpieces are its seven fireplaces, which appear on every single floor of the home.

Although this defining feature adds to the home’s quaintness, it creates hurdles for any buyer considering renovation. Stewart said that the rooms’ layout around the fireplaces complicates any attempts at reconfiguration.

The property suits multiple kinds of buyers, according to the listing agent.

“We’re looking for a buyer who likes a home that is older in style and feel and embraces the uniqueness of the property, or somebody that has the vision to restore the majesty of the property, but refresh and renew it into a 21st-century rowhouse,” Stewart said.

With lots of opportunities for renovation, the home could appeal to buyers looking for a project.

“It poses a good value for someone who has a vision,” Stewart added.

The home is for sale at an uncertain time in the DC housing market.

Stewart said the housing market in Southwest Washington, DC, has been struggling after a wave of job cuts last year.

Historic homes like the Wheat Row home could attract outside buyers looking to stake their claim in pieces of American history.

The home is less than five minutes from DC’s Southwest Waterfront.

The Wheat Row homes sit along DC’s Washington Channel, running parallel to the Potomac River.

Wheat Row residents, as part of the Harbour Square co-op, get access to a rooftop deck, which overlooks the water. Other co-op amenities include a shared heated pool, gardens, and a fitness center.

The property has quick access to attractions in The Wharf, the waterfront’s mixed-use neighborhood.

The home sits in the middle of a booming modern neighborhood known as The Wharf, which has undergone redevelopment over the past two decades.

The area is filled with theaters and concert halls, offices, restaurants, and public spaces.

Editor’s note: This story was originally published in February 2026 and was updated in July 2026 to reflect the property’s price drop.