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Ford's ambitious $5B EV reboot
PLUS: Github just got a lot less independent
Good morning, tech enthusiasts. Ford is plugging $5B into what it calls its “next Model T moment,” entirely revamping its EV assembly line and battery plant.
The plan includes an unnamed electric pickup Ford claims will be the cheapest on the market, and 4,000 new U.S. jobs. Could this be the moment when American EVs switch gears and stop chasing Tesla?
In today’s tech rundown:
Ford invests $5B to build affordable EVs
Github’s CEO quits, Microsoft takes over
Secretive startup Periodic nabs millions
SpaceX now controls a city’s water supply
Quick hits on other tech news
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
FORD

Image source: Ford
The Rundown: Ford is pumping $5B into a full EV reboot, with $2B of it slated to rewire its Louisville plant. Out goes Henry Ford’s legendary moving assembly line and in comes an “assembly tree” designed to branch out into the electric era.
The details:
The first product under the EV reboot is set to be a $30K midsize electric pickup, launching in 2027 to make affordable EVs a mass-market reality.
The new Universal EV Platform will slash 20% of typical vehicle parts, cut 25% of fasteners, and compress assembly time by 15%.
Ford’s California-based skunkworks team, led by ex-Tesla exec Alan Clarke, engineered this revamp.
In addition, $3B is also earmarked for a battery park in Michigan, where Ford will produce lower-cost lithium-iron phosphate batteries.
Why it matters: The Louisville upgrade will expand the plant by 52K square feet and secure at least 2,200 jobs, as Ford retools for full-scale electric production. Gas-powered Escapes and Lincoln Corsairs are on their way out at Louisville, as Ford shifts to fully embracing electrification.
GITHUB/MICROSOFT

Image source: Vaughn Ridley/Web Summit Rio via Sportsfile/Wikimedia Commons
The Rundown: Following the announcement that GitHub’s CEO is stepping down, parent company Microsoft revealed that it will integrate GitHub into its CoreAI engineering team, marking the end of GitHub’s independent status.
The details:
The surprise resignation of GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke, after four years at the helm, marks a big shift in the developer ecosystem.
Dohmke, who steered GitHub through its AI renaissance and a period of explosive global growth, plans to “become a startup founder again.”
Microsoft, which has owned GitHub since 2018, said it is folding GitHub into its CoreAI engineering group.
This move accelerates GitHub’s transformation from a neutral code repository into a strategic player for Microsoft’s ambitious AI-first vision.
Why it matters: Github’s 150M developers will be able to train, deploy, and monetize foundation models and agentic workflows without leaving the platform. But the playful, indie GitHub culture is giving way to a precision‑engineered, enterprise‑driven hub designed to feed and scale Microsoft’s sprawling AI ecosystem.
PERIODIC LABS

Image source: Creative Commons Zero, Wikimedia Commons
The Rundown: VC firm Andreessen Horowitz is making an unusually early bet on a scientific moonshot, leading a $200M round in Periodic Labs — an AI startup only a few months old yet already valued at $1B.
The details:
Periodic Labs, founded by a team of ex-OpenAI and DeepMind talent, is focused on applying AI to the fundamentals of material science.
Their platform wields deep neural networks and AI to design new materials, aiming to compress the years-long cycle of scientific R&D into weeks.
The startup targets breakthroughs in domains such as batteries, pharmaceuticals, electronics, and energy.
Its approach bridges academia and industry, offering clients a way to accelerate launches for next-gen batteries, sensors, and medical devices.
Why it matters: Investors are banking on the startup’s promise to move AI out of pure research and into real-world domains where it can drive industrial disruption beyond software. With OpenAI’s backing as well, the company looks ready to redraw boundaries between foundational science and scalable, market-ready innovation.
SPACEX

Image source: SpaceX
The Rundown: SpaceX’s Starbase is swapping water trucks for its own private pipeline from Brownsville, Texas, in a move that promises a steadier supply but puts the tap firmly in Elon Musk’s hands to fuel bigger launches.
The details:
For years, SpaceX shuttled potable water by truck from Brownsville to the site, fueling daily life for employees and Starbase residents.
Brownsville Public Utilities Board (BPUB) confirmed a contract for SpaceX to deliver water through a new line stretching from Brownsville to Starbase.
SpaceX will foot the bill for the pipeline, enabling an expansion of amenities, housing, and on-site infrastructure.
Access to the water supply will be overseen by SpaceX, not the City of Starbase itself or local government.
Why it matters: In SpaceX’s company town, the new Starbase water line comes with strings: locals can drink in only if they waive rights during launches and accept water with no quality promises. Without a state utility license, SpaceX alone decides who gets a sip, and on what terms.
QUICK HITS
📰 Everything else in tech today
SoftBank snapped up Foxconn’s Ohio EV factory in a $375M deal, retooling the site to anchor its $500B Stargate AI infrastructure push alongside OpenAI and Oracle.
Meta reportedly acquired AI voice startup WaveForms for an undisclosed amount, its second major AI audio deal in a month after PlayAI.
Microsoft is discontinuing its Office Lens document scanner app and directing users to switch to its Copilot AI chat app for document scanning and related features.
Instagram’s new Map feature’s rollout sparked backlash, with critics slamming it for copying Snap Maps and raising serious privacy concerns.
Citigroup facilitated over $1B in transactions for Delaware-based Heritage Trust after 2018, when sanctioned Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov secretly held an interest.
Online video-sharing platform Rumble is considering an all-stock $1.17B acquisition of German AI cloud provider Northern Data, a deal backed by major shareholder Tether.
Peter Thiel-backed crypto exchange Bullish upped its IPO target to $990M, aiming for a $4.82B valuation on the NYSE.
Texas-based Firefly Aerospace raised $868.3M in its upsized IPO, selling over 19M shares at $45 each after its successful Blue Ghost lunar landing earlier this year.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman predicts that by 2035, college graduates could be launching into high-paying, adventurous jobs exploring space.
AOL will permanently discontinue its iconic dial-up internet service — and the nostalgic screeches and beeps that defined early online life — after 30 years of service.
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See you soon,
Rowan, Jennifer, and Joey—The Rundown’s editorial team
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