📢 Tesla’s $400M Deal, Apple Returns to X, China Hacks
Good morning. It’s Thursday, February 13. Today we are covering:
'Armored Tesla' forecast to win $400 million State Department contract after Trump's election, government document shows
Apple has started advertising on X again
China's Salt Typhoon Spies Are Still Hacking Telecoms-Now by Exploiting Cisco Routers
Meta Opens Facebook Marketplace to Rivals in EU Antitrust Clash
VC Sheel Mohnot talks about Twitter fame, fintech, and the truth about AI startups
Let’s dive in
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By Ryan Grim via Drop Site News
Tesla is forecasted to receive a $400 million contract from the State Department for "Armored Tesla" vehicles, with procurement scheduled for Q4 2025 and a projected duration of five years.
The procurement document, updated in December 2024 after Donald Trump's election, listed the contract's competition status as "TBD"; Marco Rubio is expected to oversee the deal as the department's head.
After publication, the State Department removed Tesla's name from the document, prompting Elon Musk to respond publicly with, "why the lie?", though he did not specify the alleged misinformation.
𝕏: 🚨New from @DropSiteNews: Tesla is forecast to win the largest State Dept contract of 2025 -- $400 million for "Armored Tesla" -- according to procurement documents we reviewed. (And @elonmusk before you accuse us of doxxing, the docs are public) - Ryan Grim (@ryangrim)
Apple has started advertising on X again
By Jess Weatherbed via The Verge
Apple has resumed advertising on X after pausing ad spending in 2023 due to Elon Musk's controversial remarks, joining other major brands like Amazon, Disney, and IBM in returning to the platform.
The company is currently promoting Safari’s privacy features and the Apple TV+ show Severance, despite X’s ongoing content moderation issues and scrutiny from the European Union over advertising transparency.
X previously sued major advertisers in August 2024, alleging an “illegal boycott”, but all major brands named in the lawsuit—except Apple—have now restarted their ad campaigns.
𝕏: 🚨APPLE REJOINS X ADVERTISING—A MAJOR BRAND COMEBACK For the first time in over a year, Apple is running ads on X, spotlighting Safari’s privacy features and the Apple TV+ hit Severance. With major brands like Disney and Coca-Cola also making a comeback, X is regaining momentum in the advertising world. A huge win! - Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal)
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China's Salt Typhoon Spies Are Still Hacking Telecoms-Now by Exploiting Cisco Routers
By Andy Greenberg via WIRED
The Chinese hacker group Salt Typhoon has continued breaching global telecom networks, including five new intrusions from December 2024 to January 2025, by exploiting vulnerabilities in Cisco routers.
US-based telecoms and universities worldwide—including UC California, Utah Tech, and institutions across Asia, Europe, and South America—were targeted, with attackers using GRE tunnels to steal sensitive data.
Despite public exposure, US Treasury sanctions, and FBI warnings, Salt Typhoon's activity remains aggressive and ongoing, prompting officials to recommend end-to-end encrypted apps like Signal and WhatsApp for secure communication.
𝕏: China's Salt Typhoon hackers are still breaching telecoms worldwide, including two in the US in Dec-Jan, says Recorded Future. Lately they're exploiting Cisco devices with unpatched 2023 bugs and seem undeterred by high profile exposure and sanctions. - Andy Greenberg (@agreenberg at the other places) (@a_greenberg)
Meta Opens Facebook Marketplace to Rivals in EU Antitrust Clash
By Samuel Stolton via Bloomberg
Meta will allow classified ad firms in Europe to pay for listings on Facebook Marketplace, following a €798 million ($829 million) fine from the EU for abusing market dominance.
The move aims to comply with EU antitrust regulations and follows a pilot program with eBay, with pricing based on user engagement with listings.
This shift marks a significant change for Facebook Marketplace, which was previously closed to third-party platforms, but Meta's compliance will come at a cost to its business model.
𝕏: .@Meta tied its classified ads service Facebook Marketplace to its personal social network @facebook + it imposed unfair trading conditions on competitors (eg Vinted, eBay, Le Bon Coin & others) This breaches @EU_Competition rules. We fine @Meta €797.8 M for abusing dominance. Margrethe Vestager (@vestager)
VC Sheel Mohnot talks about Twitter fame, fintech, and the truth about AI startups
By Mary Ann Azevedo via TechCrunch
Sheel Mohnot, co-founder of Better Tomorrow Ventures (BTV), has built a strong presence on X with over 150,000 followers, using viral posts to engage with fintech founders and the broader tech community.
BTV, managing $300 million, focuses on pre-seed and seed-stage fintech startups, investing in companies like AngelList, Coast, and Unit, while also running an accelerator, The Mint.
Mohnot remains skeptical of the AI startup hype, arguing that many so-called AI companies lack real AI innovation, while highlighting the falling cost of AI models as a positive shift for real-world applications.
𝕏: I had an absolute blast talking with @pitdesi of @btv_vc for @EquityPod. We chatted about everything from that time he was in a Justin Bieber video, to how social media has helped him win deals and how he thinks fintech is making a major comeback. - Mary Ann Azevedo (@bayareawriter)
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