Nikola Corporation, once valued over $30 billion, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy due to financial difficulties. Founder Trevor Milton faced legal issues for misleading investors, leading to his resignation and a four-year prison sentence. The company also dealt with technical challenges, including battery fires and substantial losses.

Nikola Corporation Files for Bankruptcy

Major tech magnates, including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg, heavily funded President Donald Trump's campaign and inauguration. This financial support aimed to influence government policies in favor of tech companies, seeking to avoid antitrust litigations, benefit from lenient regulations, and secure lucrative defense contracts.

Tech Giants Influence Government Policies

Silicon Valley firms, notably in the crypto sector, have significantly increased their political lobbying efforts. A super PAC named Fairshake, funded by major tech and crypto companies like Coinbase and Ripple, raised over $170 million to influence elections. Their aggressive campaigns targeted politicians perceived as anti-crypto, exemplified by their efforts against Congresswoman Katie Porter.

Silicon Valley's Aggressive Political Lobbying

Tesla's Autopilot feature faced scrutiny due to several crashes, some fatal, linked to overreliance on the system. Investigations revealed that Tesla might have downplayed the system's limitations, leading users to believe it was more autonomous and safer than it actually was.

Tesla's Autopilot Safety Concerns

Yahoo experienced significant data breaches, affecting billions of users. The first breach in 2013 compromised personal information of about three billion accounts. The company's delayed response and underestimation of the breach's severity led to widespread criticism.

Yahoo's Massive Data Breaches

In 2016, Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 smartphones began catching fire due to faulty batteries. Despite initial acclaim, reports of overheating and explosions led to a full recall of all units worldwide, costing the company billions and damaging its reputation.

Samsung's Exploding Batteries

TikTok faced significant scrutiny over data privacy concerns, with allegations of sharing user data with the Chinese government. This led to national security reviews and discussions about banning the app in several countries.

TikTok's Data Privacy Concerns

Volkswagen was found to have cheated on emissions tests by programming diesel cars to activate emissions controls only during testing. This affected about 11 million cars worldwide and led to significant legal and financial repercussions.

Volkswagen's Emissions Scandal

Apple engaged in a legal battle with the FBI over unlocking an iPhone belonging to a suspect in a 2015 terrorist attack. Apple refused to create a backdoor, citing user privacy concerns, leading to a significant debate over encryption and security.

Apple vs. FBI Encryption Dispute

Amazon faced criticism over poor working conditions in its warehouses, including reports of inadequate breaks, high injury rates, and strict productivity quotas. These issues sparked debates over labor practices in the tech industry.

Unfiltered