How far will you go to piss off your rivals?

Tesla made a rare appearance in the Super Bowl. Except it was funded by one of Tesla’s biggest haters, billionaire Dan O’Dowd who:

• Owns Green Hills Software — which sells automated driving systems to Tesla’s competitor, Mobileye.
• Already put several million into campaigns trying to stop Tesla — including a failed 2022 attempt at running for US Senate.

Here’s a clip from the ad:

In late 2022, Tesla released its Full Self-Driving Beta software in North America — which can cost an extra $15K.

• Most “self-driving” vehicles only provide lane-keeping and auto-breaking.
• But Tesla’s update takes it further with lane changes and autonomous parking.

Tesla has been criticized for publicly releasing unfinished tech. And US regulators are closely watching:

• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been investigating Tesla crashes since 2021.
• The US Department of Justice is investigating Tesla’s claims that its cars can drive themselves.

What do we know about lawmakers? They work at the pace of a Prius. As for Musk? Well, he’s the “master of spin” and will “keep plowing forward with this until somebody, some governing body, tells him he can’t,” says Deepwater Asset Management’s Managing Partner, Gene Munster (WAPO).