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Ukrainian strikes hit a Russian explosive materials plant 1,000 miles away and a major Black Sea oil terminal, security official says

Ukrainian service members of the 14th Unmanned Aerial Systems Regiment stand next to a deep strike unmanned aerial vehicle before its launch toward Russian territory, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in an undisclosed location in Ukraine, undisclosed date, 2025.
Ukraine has used long-range drones to carry out strikes against targets deep inside Russia.
  • Ukraine’s internal security agency carried out two drone attacks inside Russia on Monday night, an official said.
  • The SBU attacks targeted a major Black Sea oil terminal and a plant making components for explosives.
  • They mark Ukraine’s latest long-range strikes as it continues to target Russian military and energy sites.

Ukraine carried out long-range drone attacks overnight against a key Black Sea oil terminal and a plant making components for explosives located deep inside Russia, a security official told Business Insider on Tuesday.

The twin attacks mark Ukraine’s latest long-range strikes and come as Kyiv’s forces continue to target facilities inside Russia that directly and indirectly help the country sustain its full-scale invasion.

Drones struck the Tamannaftogaz oil terminal in Russia’s Krasnodar region, hitting one of the largest ports in the Black Sea region, a source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said. They were only authorized to speak on the condition of anonymity to discuss military operations.

The attack on the port, the second in less than a month, caused a fire at the facility, the source said, adding that the earlier Ukrainian drone strikes on January 22 damaged several tanks and pipelines at Tamannaftogaz, causing an estimated $50 million in losses. The facility is recognized as an important piece of Russian oil logistics in the Black Sea.

The source said that the SBU, Ukraine’s main internal security agency, “systematically” targets Russia’s energy and export infrastructure, striking at a major revenue source fueling Moscow’s war efforts against its neighbor.

Since August, Ukraine has intensified its long-range drone attacks on Russia’s energy sector, striking oil refineries, terminals, tankers, and platforms across the country, and in the Black, Caspian, and even the Mediterranean seas.

Ukrainian officials have repeatedly described the deep-strike campaign as “long-range sanctions” on Moscow. The attacks have led to a slight decline in Russian oil refining over the past year.

The deep strikes have also targeted other infrastructure associated with Russian military operations, including factories, weapons storage facilities, and air bases.

Overnight, for instance, Ukrainian drones struck the Metafrax Chemicals plant in the Perm region more than 1,600 kilometers (roughly 1,000 miles) inside Russia.

A Ukrainian serviceman with the call sign 'Kasper,' member of the 14th Unmanned Aerial Systems Regiment, stands next to a deep strike unmanned aerial vehicle before its launch towards Russian territory, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in an undisclosed location in Ukraine, undisclosed date, 2025.
A Ukrainian soldier prepares a long-range drone.

The sanctioned plant — one of the largest producers of methanol in Russia and Europe — is used to make chemical components for explosives and other military-related materials, the SBU source said. Several blasts were reported at the facility.

In a translated statement, the source said “the SBU continues to systematically work on enterprises that provide the Russian military-industrial complex with raw materials and components for the production of weapons.”

“The destruction of such objects reduces the pace of ammunition production, complicates the supply of resources for the army, and directly affects the reduction of the intensity of hostilities against Ukraine,” they added.

Neither Russia’s defense ministry nor its US embassy responded to a request for comment on the attacks. Moscow said its air defenses shot down 334 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones over the past 24 hours.

The two attacks overnight on Monday were carried out by the SBU’s Alpha group, an elite unit considered to be among the best of Ukraine’s special forces.

The Alpha group is regularly behind long-range drone attacks against Russian targets. Forces within the unit also carry out ground operations, including in eastern Ukraine’s embattled Donetsk region.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military said on Tuesday that it had carried out an attack on the Ilsky oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region, which is not far from the Tamannaftogaz terminal that the SBU targeted.

“The defense forces of Ukraine will continue to systematically carry out measures aimed at weakening the combat potential of the Russian aggressor,” the military said in a statement published to the Telegram messaging app.

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Tesla pulls the plug on one-time purchases of FSD

Tesla FSD
  • Tesla eliminated the option to purchase Full Self-Driving with a one-time fee over the weekend.
  • Previously, Tesla offered FSD as an $8,000 one-time purchase option.
  • Musk has said he plans to hike FSD subscription prices as its capabilities improve.

Tesla has shifted its Full Self-Driving feature to a subscription model.

Over the weekend, the company removed the option to purchase the feature in the US via a one-time flat fee of $8,000.

For years, Tesla owners have been able to purchase the service with a one-time payment that would allow them to use it for the full lifespan of their vehicle. Now, the driver-assist feature is available only via a $99-per-month subscription.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk first announced in January that the change would take effect the following month. In the past, Musk has said that Teslas would serve as “appreciating assets,” suggesting owners could benefit as the software became increasingly more autonomous.

The decision to remove lifetime FSD purchases comes shortly after the carmaker stopped offering Autopilot as a free feature for new Tesla purchases. Previously, Autopilot acted as a free driver-assist feature on the expressway, while FSD was an additional paid feature for navigating city streets.

Tesla first introduced FSD in 2016, and the pricing has swung dramatically over time. In its early days, FSD cost around $5,000, later climbing to a peak of $15,000. In 2024, Tesla reduced the upfront price to $8,000. The carmaker first introduced a subscription option in 2021 for $199 per month, but the price was later lowered to $99 per month.

Musk said in a post on X last month that the carmaker will raise FSD subscription prices as its “capabilities improve.”

Tesla’s move to a more subscription-focused model reflects a broader industry trend. Under an executive performance plan approved last year, Musk’s compensation depends in part on reaching 10 million active FSD subscriptions.

Do you work for Tesla or have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at gkay@businessinsider.com or Signal at 248-894-6012. Use a personal email address, a nonwork device, and nonwork WiFi; here’s our guide to sharing information securely.

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Sales reps at $11 billion AI startup ElevenLabs have to bring in 20 times their base salary, or they’re out — VP says

Reflective street kiosk displaying AI company ElevenLabs' logo with pedestrian and delivery truck in background, San Francisco, California, May 20, 2025. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
ElevenLabs is a $11 billion voice cloning AI startup.
  • ElevenLabs set “ruthless” sales quotas for its representatives, one of its execs said.
  • VP Carles Reina said sales reps are expected to meet quotas equivalent to 20 times their base salary.
  • He said ElevenLabs adopts a small team model for higher sales success.

At $11 billion AI startup ElevenLabs, the message to sales reps is simple: Hit 20x your base salary, or you’re out.

Speaking on the 20VC podcast on Friday, Carles Reina, VP of sales at the voice-cloning startup, talked through its “ruthless” quotas.

“So if I pay you $100,000 a year, your quota is $2 million. That’s it. If you don’t achieve your quota, then you’re going to be out, right?” Reina said. “And we’re ruthless on that end.”

ElevenLabs — which was recently valued at $11 billion after closing a $500 million funding round — operates in micro-teams of five to ten people each, according to CEO and cofounder Mati Staniszewski, who spoke on a separate 20VC podcast episode in September.

Reina said he prefers to operate in smaller teams that hit their quotas, and pay them more.

Small teams have become a growing trend in tech, with AI startups touting their ability to scale with far fewer employees by working alongside AI agents.

LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman wrote in January that a team of 15 people using AI can rival a team of 150 who aren’t.

Meanwhile, Mark Zuckerberg said on a Meta earnings call in July that he has “gotten a little bit more convinced around the ability for small, talent-dense teams to be the optimal configuration for driving frontier research.”

Reina said the “ruthless” quota has been successful at ElevenLabs, saying on the 20VC podcast that more than 80% of reps hit their sales quota.

ElevenLabs did not respond to a request for a comment.

He added that the firm compensates both the account executive and customer success manager if they upsell a company within the first 12 months.

“I’m paying double, but I don’t care,” Reina said. “It makes perfect sense because then I have these two people busting their ass to make sure that they actually can make more money, which is fantastic for me as a company.”

The push for higher performance isn’t limited to AI startups.

In April, Google said it was restructuring its compensation structure to increase rewards for top performers. “High performance is more important than ever,” Google’s head of compensation told staff at the time.

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‘Eccentric but brilliant’: OpenClaw’s creator got feedback from Mark Zuckerberg

OpenClaw website displayed on a laptop screen and OpenClaw website displayed on a phone screen are seen in this illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland on February 6, 2026. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Peter Steinberger created AI agent OpenClaw.
  • Peter Steinberger joined OpenAI, but before that he got feedback on OpenClaw from Mark Zuckerberg.
  • OpenClaw, an AI agent, manages tasks and actions for users.
  • Lex Fridman called OpenClaw a major AI moment on his podcast episode interviewing Steinberger.

OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger joined OpenAI, according to an X post by Sam Altman on February 15. But before that, Steinberger got feedback on his product from Mark Zuckerberg.

OpenClaw is an open-source AI agent that can autonomously handle tasks like managing email, booking flights, and interacting with apps and services on a user’s behalf.

“Many people are calling this one of the biggest moments in the recent history of AI, since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022,” Lex Fridman said about OpenClaw on the February 11 episode of his podcast, where he interviewed Steinberger.

Steinberger discussed acquisition offers from both OpenAI and Meta on the podcast, saying he also considered raising venture capital but ultimately ruled it out. “Been there, done that,” he said of starting a company, adding that it would take time away from building and could create conflicts of interest between a commercial product and the open-source project.

Instead, he narrowed his choice to the two AI labs, which he said made very different pitches. He said OpenAI lured him with compute power and access to cutting-edge infrastructure, while Meta’s approach was more personal — Zuckerberg spent a week using OpenClaw and sent detailed feedback.

“Mark basically played all week with my product and sent me like, ‘Oh, this is great.’ Or, ‘This is shit. Oh, I need to change this.’ Or, like, funny little anecdotes,” Steinberger said of Zuckerberg, adding that he hopped on a WhatsApp call with the Meta CEO where they debated about Claude Code and Codex.

“And then I think afterwards he called me eccentric but brilliant,” Steinberger said.

Just before the call, Zuckerberg said he was coding, Steinberger told Fridman on the podcast.

“He didn’t drift away in just being a manager; he gets me,” Steinberger said. “That was a good first start.”

Steinberger said he appreciated Zuckerberg testing the product on Fridman’s podcast.

“People using your stuff is kind of like the biggest compliment, and also shows me that they actually care about it,” Steinberger said.

Steinberger acknowledged on the podcast that he was leaning toward one company but declined to say which. His choice, it seems, was OpenAI.

Read the original article on Business Insider

OpenAI’s OpenClaw hire sparks praise, memes, and rivalry chatter

openclaw on a laptop
  • OpenAI hired the creator of OpenClaw, Peter Steinberger.
  • The news made waves in the AI community.
  • Some AI leaders took to X to celebrate the news, and others expressed concern.

OpenAI announced on Sunday it had hired Peter Steinberger, the creator of OpenClaw. Within hours, the news sent ripples across the AI community, drawing praise from some executives, jabs from rivals, and a flood of memes from engineers watching the talent wars unfold.

Steinberger wrote in a blog post shared on X Sunday that he was “joining OpenAI to work on bringing agents to everyone.”

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman amplified the news, writing that “the future is going to be extremely multi-agent.”

In response to the news, several OpenAI leaders welcomed Steinberger. Thibault Sottiaux, an engineering lead on OpenAI’s Codex team, wrote that “@steipete is proof you can just build things.”

Another Codex engineer posted that one of the “neat” parts of OpenAI’s culture is how many former founders work there.

Steinberger told Lex Friedman in a podcast last week that both Mark Zuckerberg and Altman had made him offers.

OpenClaw and its agent-only social media network Moltbook became wildly popular earlier this year as developers and AI enthusiasts shared clips of autonomous AI agents posting, replying, and interacting online. The open-source project, which demonstrates how networks of AI agents can coordinate to perform tasks across apps, also rapidly gained traction on GitHub.

After Steinberger’s announcement on Sunday, some of the people who worked on OpenClaw commented on the news.

“I know the decision was not an easy one, and I saw firsthand the pressure Peter was under, given that he understands how fundamental this could be for the AI timeline,” Jamieson O’Reilly, an OpenClaw advisor, wrote on X in a post congratulating Steinberger.

Aaron Levie, the CEO of Box, said it was a sign “2026 was the year of the agents.”

Not everyone in the tech space was as enthusiastic about the news.

XAI cofounder Igor Babuschkin asked users on X: “What’s the best open alternative to OpenClaw right now? Doesn’t make sense to put all your data into it if it’s owned by OpenAI.”

PayPal mafia member Jason Calacanis expressed similar concerns.

Steinberger and OpenAI have said that OpenClaw will remain an open-source project with OpenAI’s support.

Other experts in the space pointed out that OpenAI’s win could be a loss for Anthropic, especially after Steinberger wrote on X that Anthropic sent “love letters from legal.”

“Another interesting detail is Anthropic’s visible disdain for anything open source: their only contribution to this was legal threats,” George Orosz, a tech industry analyst and author of the tech newsletter The Pragmatic Engineer, wrote on X.

Kris Puckett, a designer at Stripe, expressed a similar sentiment

Raphael Schaad, a visiting partner at Y Combinator, said, “I bet this causes lots of VC tears.”

And finally, some X power users did what they do best: posted memes about the news.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Take a look inside the Air Force One plane that carried 8 presidents and brought home JFK’s body from Dallas

A blue and white plane on display in a museum, with "United States of America" painted on the side.
Eight US presidents flew on this Air Force One plane known as SAM 26000.
  • SAM 26000 operated as Air Force One from 1962 to 1998, carrying eight US presidents.
  • Lyndon Johnson was sworn in on board, and the plane transported John F. Kennedy’s body from Texas.
  • SAM 26000 is housed at the National Museum of the US Air Force, where visitors can walk through it.

“If history itself had wings, it would probably be this aircraft,” Vice President Al Gore said of the SAM 26000 Air Force One plane upon its retirement in 1998.

The first Air Force jet designed and built specifically for US presidents, SAM 26000 (pronounced two six thousand) carried eight presidents between 1962 and 1998 — every leader from John F. Kennedy to Bill Clinton.

After 13,000 flying hours over 36 years of service, the plane was retired to the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, where it remains on display.

I visited the museum in August and walked through the historic aircraft. Take a look inside.

The SAM 26000 Air Force One jet, a Boeing VC-137C, was completed in 1962 for President John F. Kennedy.
SAM 26000 at the National Museum of the US Air Force.
SAM 26000 at the National Museum of the US Air Force.

The Boeing VC-137C was a customized and modified version of a civilian 707-320B airliner. It was powered by four Pratt & Whitney TF33 engines, each with 18,000 pounds of thrust.

First lady Jacqueline Kennedy chose the plane’s blue and white paint colors in coordination with industrial designer Raymond Loewy.
A blue and white plane on display in a museum, with "United States of America" painted on the side.
Eight US presidents flew on this Air Force One plane known as SAM 26000.

The first lady also added the words “United States of America” to the aircraft to signal its importance as the president’s plane.

In a tragic period of American history, SAM 26000 transported President John F. Kennedy’s body home after his assassination in 1963.
Air Force One arrives with President John F. Kennedy's coffin.
The coffin with the late President arrives on Air Force One at Andrews Air Base. US-President John F. Kennedy was murdered on 22 November 1963 in Dallas (TX).

President Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as president aboard the plane hours after Kennedy was pronounced dead.

Now an interactive museum artifact, visitors can board the plane the same way US presidents did via a staircase leading into the cabin.
Air Force One at the National Museum of the US Air Force.
Air Force One.

Admission to the National Museum of the US Air Force is free.

SAM 26000 is located in the museum’s William E. Boeing Presidential Gallery, which includes other presidential planes such as the Douglas VC-54C, the first presidential aircraft, which was known as the “Sacred Cow.”

The first stop on my self-guided tour was the cockpit, which featured a four-person crew.
The flight deck of SAM 26000.
The flight deck.

The crew consisted of a pilot, copilot, navigator, and flight engineer. The navigator and flight engineer roles were eventually replaced by GPS and computerized technology on later Air Force One planes.

Two phones were located behind the flight deck.
Two phones aboard Air Force One, SAM 26000.
Two phones aboard Air Force One.

A plaque above the phones read, “This telephone is subject to monitoring at all times. Use of this telephone constitutes consent to monitoring.”

An equipment storage space featured a first aid kit and firearms.
A first aid kit and weapons on Air Force One SAM 26000.
A first aid kit and weapons on Air Force One.

The closet also had a rack to hang suits and coats.

Next, I walked by the plane’s communication facility.
The communication facility on board SAM 26000.
The communication facility.

The secure communication center allowed presidents to place calls anywhere in the world while in flight.

Meals were prepared in the galley.
The galley on board SAM 26000.
The galley.

The galley included a stovetop, oven, and sink.

This seating area was used by presidential staff, members of the press, and Secret Service agents.
A seating area aboard SAM 26000.
A seating area aboard SAM 26000.

The aircraft could hold up to 40 passengers.

The seating area, like many areas of the plane, is now protected by plastic barricades.

I noticed fox decals above the seats, which a museum volunteer told me was a nod to the 89th Airlift Wing, which operates Air Force One.
A fox decal on Air Force One SAM 26000.
A fox decal on Air Force One.

Stationed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, the 89th Airlift Wing is tasked with flying the president and high-ranking government officials. The group is also referred to as “SAM FOX,” which stands for “Special Air Missions Foreign.”

The presidential stateroom was located down a long hallway.
A hallway on Air Force One.
A hallway on Air Force One.

The benches in the hallway were hollow to offer additional storage.

The president’s spacious quarters featured a desk, couch, television, and private bathroom.
The president's stateroom aboard SAM 26000.
The president’s stateroom.

In 1969, Nixon redesigned Air Force One and moved the presidential quarters over the wings, which was the quietest and smoothest part of the plane during flight.

The stateroom came with two phones, each with different purposes.
Two phones in the president's stateroom on Air Force One SAM 26000.
Two phones in the president’s stateroom.

Presidents used the white phone to communicate with crew members and other passengers on the plane, while the beige phone could be used to call anywhere in the world.

Behind the presidential stateroom, a conference room provided more meeting space.
A conference room on SAM 26000.
A conference room.

The room was furnished with throne chairs, a folding table, and another TV.

Additional conference areas provided more seating for staff, Secret Service members, and VIPs.
Seating aboard SAM 26000.
A conference room aboard SAM 26000.

Presidents Nixon, Ford, and Carter sat here while flying to attend Egyptian President Anwar El-Sadat’s funeral in 1981.

An office area across the aisle featured an electric typewriter, scanner, and more phones.
A conference room with a map of the United States aboard SAM 26000.
A conference room.

Presidents used the electric typewriter to write and edit speeches while on board the plane.

The wall of the office space was decorated with a map of the United States.

President Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as president in this area of Air Force One’s cabin after Kennedy’s assassination in 1963.
Lyndon Johnson takes the oath of office aboard Air Force One after the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
In the aftermath of the assasination of US President John F. Kennedy, American politician and Vice-President Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908 – 1973) takes the oath of office to become the 36th President of the United States as he is sworn in by US Federal Judge Sarah T. Hughes (1896 – 1985) (left) on the presidential aircraft, Air Force One, Dallas, Texas, November 22, 1963. Kennedy’s widow, Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy (later Onassis) stands beside him at right.

Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, while visiting Dallas. He was pronounced dead at Parkland Memorial Hospital at 1 p.m., and Johnson took the oath of office at 2:38 p.m.

Jacqueline Kennedy‘s pink suit was still smeared with blood when Federal Judge Sarah T. Hughes administered the oath of office on Air Force One. Johnson’s wife, Lady Bird Johnson, stood to his right.

Standing in the very spot where Johnson was sworn in after Kennedy’s assassination was awe-inspiring.
A hallway on SAM 26000.
A hallway on SAM 26000.

Even blocked off by plastic barricades, the plane’s cabin preserves a pivotal moment in US history.

These four seats toward the back of the plane were removed to make room for Kennedy’s coffin on the flight from Dallas back to Washington, DC, in 1963.
Seats on Air Force One.
Seats on Air Force One.

The Secret Service had to break the handles off the casket to make it fit through the plane door.

Air Force security personnel operated out of this area at the back of the aircraft to secure the plane while it was on the ground.
Seats for security personnel aboard SAM 26000.
Seats for security personnel.

The seating area featured six seats, a phone, and a folding table.

My tour ended at the back of the plane with a view of its call sign on the tail and an American flag.
The tail of SAM 26000.
The tail of SAM 26000.

According to US Flag Code, an American flag decal must always be positioned so that the stars face forward.

Air Force One remains an instantly recognizable symbol of US might, making my walkthrough tour a memorable experience.
The presidential seal on Air Force One.
The presidential seal on Air Force One.

Like many modes of presidential transportation, such as the bulletproof limousine known as “The Beast” and the Marine One helicopter, Air Force One is about more than simply getting the president from point A to point B. It symbolizes the power of the United States and its elected leader wherever it goes.

The image projected by presidential planes remains of great interest to President Donald Trump, who opted to accept a luxurious Boeing 747-8 jet from the Qatari royal family instead of waiting for Boeing to deliver its long-delayed new Air Force One jets.

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