Twitter was experiencing a widespread outage for approximately 30 minutes as of noon Israel time on Monday, with users unable to access the platform. The cause of the disruption remains unclear as of this report. The glitch appears to have ended about an hour after, toward 12:30 p.m.. About two hours later, users once again reported the platform was down. It was unclear what the cause was for this second glitch and how widespread it was, but it lasted only several minutes. Then toward 4 p.m. Israel Time another major glitch was reported by the greatest number yet – more than 30000 users, and this continued for at least 30 minutes. It was still unclear when it was expected to be resolved.

Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, did not yet issued any statement regarding the service interruption or its potential causes in the immediate aftermath of the first glitch.

The timing and scope of the outages, as well as when users might expect service to resume, were unknown. Technical difficulties affecting major social media platforms typically stem from server issues, maintenance gone awry, or other infrastructure problems.

"User reports indicate problems at X (Twitter)," the site Downdetector reported in the first outage. "X (previously Twitter) is a microblog that allows users to publish shorter, less text messages. Twitter users can post their tweets across multiple devices and platforms. This includes iPhone, Android, Blackberry or Windows Phone devices and traditional computers."

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In a significant advancement for artificial intelligence technology, OpenAI launched Sora Turbo on Tuesday, introducing a faster and more capable version of its text-to-video generation system. The platform, available now at Sora.com, allows users to create high-definition videos directly from written descriptions.

Video Creation Capabilities The new system generates videos up to 1080p resolution with durations extending to 20 seconds. Users can choose between widescreen, vertical, or square formats, while also having the ability to incorporate and blend existing assets into their creations.

User Interface and Features OpenAI has developed a comprehensive storyboard tool enabling precise frame-by-frame control. The platform features regularly updated feeds showcasing community-generated content, providing inspiration and examples of the technology's capabilities.

Subscription Options ChatGPT Plus subscribers receive Sora access as part of their existing membership, with a monthly allowance of:

• 50 videos at 480p resolution
• Option for fewer videos at 720p quality

Pro subscribers benefit from:

• 10x increased usage capacity
• Higher resolution options
• Extended video durations

Safety Measures and Verification To ensure responsible deployment, OpenAI has implemented several key safeguards:

• C2PA metadata integration for origin verification
• Default visible watermarks
• Internal content verification system
• Restrictions on uploads featuring people
• Blocks on potentially harmful content

Current Limitations The platform acknowledges certain constraints in its current form:

• Occasional challenges with physics simulations
• Difficulties maintaining complex actions over time
• Ongoing work on cost efficiency

"We're introducing our video generation technology now to give society time to explore its possibilities and co-develop norms and safeguards," an OpenAI spokesperson stated. The company plans to introduce tailored pricing options for different user categories in early 2025.

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In an unprecedented display of public discord, Silicon Valley's tech elite are engaging in heated exchanges over their support for presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, according to reporting by The Wall Street Journal. This political rift tests long-standing business relationships and friendships in an industry traditionally known for its left-leaning stance.

The WSJ reports that the political divide has become increasingly visible as some influential tech leaders, including Elon Musk, have vocally supported Trump, breaking from the industry's historically Democratic leanings. This shift has triggered backlash from those maintaining their support for the Democratic Party, particularly as Harris, a San Francisco Bay Area native, secured the presidential nomination.

The tension has manifested in public spats on social media platforms. For instance, Trump supporter Elon Musk called tech investor and Democrat Vinod Khosla "deranged" on X over his criticism of the former president. In another exchange, Aaron Levie, CEO of Box and a Harris supporter suggested that investor David Sacks must be "high on cough syrup" for backing Trump.

"Silicon Valley is very tense right now because there are two opposing camps of individuals who do business together," Sam Singer, a public relations expert with experience in Democratic political campaigns, told the WSJ. "This is an unusual situation," he added, highlighting the rarity of such open political conflicts in the tech industry.

The political divide has extended beyond social media, affecting business relationships and personal connections. Josh Felser, a climate tech investor, expressed concern in a LinkedIn post about discovering colleagues supporting Trump, stating, "I don't know how any of them talk to their kids about their support of Trump" and "Our relationships will likely be forever changed & I suspect history will not look upon them kindly."

Both campaigns have received significant financial support from tech leaders. In July, Harris's campaign committee raised approximately $204 million, while Trump's campaign committee raised $47.5 million. Harris's tech supporters have been energized by her recent fundraising success and her campaign rhetoric. At a San Francisco fundraiser co-hosted by LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, Harris raised over $13 million.

Her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, which touched on providing opportunities for founders and entrepreneurs and emphasized innovation in areas like artificial intelligence, was well-received by her Silicon Valley backers.

However, Trump supporters in the tech industry have expressed skepticism about Harris's tech-friendly stance. They worry about potential tax increases on wealthy individuals and corporations, as well as regulatory hurdles for emerging industries like cryptocurrency under a Harris administration.

The political tensions have led to the formation of new support groups within the tech community. Female tech workers have established organizations such as Tech4Kamala, VCs for Kamala, and Founders for Kamala to mobilize support for Harris. "We're witnessing an unprecedented polarization," said Edda Collins Coleman, co-founder of Tech4Kamala.

Some tech executives are calling for an end to the public squabbling. Mark Pincus, co-founder of Zynga, who has previously donated to Democratic causes, announced he isn't supporting either candidate this election. "We believe so deeply that our side is righteous that we morally judge the other side," he wrote on LinkedIn. "We have all gone too far."

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In a significant development for naval technology, what appears to be the US military's new submarine drone, known as the Manta Ray, has been spotted on Google Maps at California's Port Hueneme naval base. This sighting, reported by USA Today, offers a rare glimpse into the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) cutting-edge unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) program.

Top-secret US underwater drone "Manta Ray" spotted on Google Maps.

Follow: @AFpost pic.twitter.com/F9Mll7cIvX

— AF Post (@AFpost) June 25, 2024

 The Manta Ray, shaped like its namesake sea creature, is part of DARPA's initiative to create a new class of long-duration, long-range UUVs capable of persistent operations in dynamic maritime environments. Designed by aerospace and defense technology company Northrop Grumman, this extra-large UUV can glide through water without human occupants.

USA Today reports that the prototype's visibility on Google's geographical service has sparked online discussions. The image shows an object with a distinctive manta ray shape situated between two vessels at the Ventura County naval base. DARPA has not responded to requests for confirmation of the sighting.

Government Creates "Top Secret" Submarine Prototype Called The "Manta Ray" - Google Maps User Immediately Spots It Docked In California https://t.co/AY0VfLfjTH pic.twitter.com/3wDADtN1Th

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) June 26, 2024

 Earlier this year, the Manta Ray successfully completed full-scale testing off the Southern California coast. Northrop Grumman shared images of the prototype partially submerged during these trials. Kyle Woerner, DARPA's program manager, stated, "Our successful, full-scale Manta Ray testing validates the vehicle's readiness to advance toward real-world operations after being rapidly assembled in the field from modular subsections."

The tests, conducted between February and March, evaluated the vehicle's propulsion and steering capabilities, including its propellers and control surfaces. This achievement marks a significant step towards the operational deployment of the technology.

One of the Manta Ray's notable features is its modular design. Built in Maryland and shipped to California in sections, the prototype demonstrates the potential for global rapid deployment without overwhelming naval facilities. "Shipping the vehicle directly to its intended area of operation conserves energy that the vehicle would otherwise expend during transit," Woerner explained to USA Today.

DARPA is also collaborating with Honolulu-based PacMar Technologies on a parallel Manta Ray project. PacMar's version, described as part of a "new class of long-duration, long-range autonomous underwater vehicle," is scheduled for further low-power and high-efficiency underwater testing in 2024.

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In a bold initiative aimed at combating global warming, Professor Yoram Rozen, head of the Asher Space Research Institute (ASRI) at the Technion and a professor in the Faculty of Physics and a team of academics and industry experts has formulated a daring plan to launch a massive foil sheet into space to act as a sunshade, deflecting a portion of the sun's rays and lowering the Earth's average temperature by 1.5 degrees Celsius within a relatively short span of 18 months.

Q: From the outside, your idea sounds a bit presumptuous, Prof. Yoav Rosen: to send a shade into space that will cover part of the Earth to help deal with global warming and even lower the temperature here by a degree and a half. Tell me about your plan at the Technion.

"The idea is to send an enormous sunshade, covering an area of 2.5 million square kilometers (965,255 square miles) – roughly the size of Argentina – to a unique point between the Earth and the sun. It will unfurl between the sun and the Earth, blocking a portion of the sun's radiation and lowering the average temperature here on Earth by 1.5 degrees Celsius within a relatively short period of about a year and a half. Since we will not be able to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions entirely – and even if we do, we will still be left with the current high temperatures – we need to address the problem from the outside."

Q: It is commonly thought that since the beginning of the Industrial Age, the temperature on Earth has risen by about a degree and a half. So you're closing a gap of about 250 years in a year and a half.

Rozen acknowledges that lowering the Earth's temperature by 1.5 degrees Celsius in just 18 months is an ambitious goal, given that global temperatures have risen by approximately the same amount over the course of 250 years since the onset of the Industrial Revolution. However, he asserts, "According to all our analyses, this will work. The current average temperature on Earth is around 15 degrees Celsius, and it would be preferable to be around 13.5 degrees."

The sunshade itself would be constructed from a material already used in space missions and turns out to be relatively accessible. "It's not all that different from the survival or shock blankets used by pilots, hikers, and marathon runners to keep warm after physical exertion. It's the same material as the survival blankets you can find at Decathlon for 34 shekels (around $10)," Rozen explains. "The material is the same material – but it's clear that when sending it into space, some changes are required, and everything becomes more expensive."

Q: You're talking about a shade the size of Argentina, Algeria, or Kazakhstan. How will the production work?

While acknowledging the enormity of the task, Rozen emphasizes that the production process would be modular, with the sunshade constructed in separate components that need not be connected in space but could operate adjacently to create the desired shade. "The production will be done in parts," he clarifies. "Even in space, the components don't have to be connected; they can be side by side to create the shade."

Q: Will the shade be noticeable on Earth in any way? Will we have a shadow in the middle of the day?

"We won't feel it, and there won't be a noticeable shadow. It's a bit like a fly casting a shadow on Earth from a kilometer up. But in practice, it will lower the temperature for us, and also block 2% of the radiation that reaches us, which is the goal. The shade will mainly affect the area within 1,600 km (994 miles) from the equator, which is the critical area that affects the entire planet."

Q: How did you come up with the idea in the first place?

"The idea for the sunshade project germinated a few years ago when an Israeli group of academics and industry experts convened to explore potential solutions to global warming. While initial suggestions included launching 250 million massive (2.5 acre) balloons to shade the Earth, the group quickly recognized the impracticality of such a vast number of balloons, which could potentially fall into the atmosphere."

"A few months later, while traveling back from a conference, the idea clicked – how to send the sunshade, to what point, and what materials to use," Rozen recounts. "The next day, I discovered that someone had proposed a similar concept 16 years earlier, which gave me confidence that I was on the right track. The difference is that all the previous papers on this were theoretical, while we're coming up with a structured implementation plan."

While acknowledging the project's astronomical cost – an estimated $30 trillion – Rozen and his team have decided to start small by sending a prototype sunshade the size of a classroom into space. "After we succeed with the small one, we can enlist the world's support for the larger project," he states.

Q: When will you be able to send the prototype into space?

"Within three to four years from the moment we have the money. Sending the prototype into space will cost about $15 million. Right now, our progress is slow because we don't have money to invest, and the expectation is that in the future, we'll be able to rely on outside companies to prepare the sail, computer, and other parts."

Solar storms, pressure, and darkness

Q: You emphasize that shading the Earth must be done from outside it, i.e., from space, and that shading from the Earth's surface won't work. Could you explain that a bit more?

"On a hot sunny day in Israel, you go into an air-conditioned building. Maybe it's more comfortable for you, but you haven't changed the temperature of the Earth. If a bus stop has a roof, it's a bit more comfortable underneath it, but it doesn't change the temperature of the Earth because the roof absorbs the heat. So the shading has to be done outside the atmosphere. You need to block the radiation from reaching in the first place."

Q: The point for positioning the shade is 1.5 million kilometers (932,057 miles) from here. Why exactly?

"It's a fantastic point because it's one of five fixed points in space that rotate with the entire system. It's the only one that interests us because positioning the shade at other points would likely cast a shadow on other stars, not just us. So we have to be at the first Lagrange point, which is the distance where the gravitational forces of the Earth and the Sun are in equilibrium."

Q: What will you do about the radiation pressure?

"The radiation pressure is not negligible and knocks the system out of balance, so we'll position the shade a bit farther 'to the right,' about 50,000 km (31,069 miles) towards the Sun, to restore the system to equilibrium. By the way, the new point is also unstable, meaning the shade could still lose balance and fall. So we'll need to make corrections, just like a person standing on one leg adjusts their stance to stay upright."

Q: is the significance of such corrections in space?

"In principle, you can put an engine and make minor corrections all the time, but an engine adds weight and complexity, both of which we want to avoid. So we will deploy a sail and move to one side, or close the sail and move to the other side. The movement and reorientation won't happen every few seconds or minutes, but every 100-200 days. This is a solution that isn't problematic for us. It seems that between these two points, we can move within a certain range and stay within the area without falling. The shade will be modular and made up of many such blankets, as mentioned, and more units will be regularly launched to join the larger system."

Q: How many such launches will you need?

"We're talking about 2.5 million tons. We can currently launch 100 tons, and each time we'll launch the maximum possible. We'll likely need thousands of launches. The travel time will also be relatively short. The James Webb Space Telescope was launched about two and a half years ago to the relevant point for us, and the travel time was a few weeks."

Q: Will there be annual routine maintenance for such a project?

"There's not really an option for maintenance. Any part that fails, meaning it's in the wrong orientation, will be replaced with another. The cost of replacement is marginal compared to the entire project."

Q: What about the Sun's heating affecting the shade negatively? Just a month ago, satellites detected strong solar storms.

"It's true that the Sun has its cycles, but broadly speaking –the Sun is cooling over the course of billions of years. In a few billion years, it's also expected to go out, and then we'll need to talk again and see what we're doing."

International interest

Q: I'm trying to think about what's more presumptuous: thinking it's possible to send such a shade into space, or raising the amount of money we're talking about – $30 trillion.

"Fortunately, I'm not dealing with raising the global amount. That depends on a lot of politics."

Q: The annual US budget is about $5 trillion. I assume this is a global interest, and every country will have to contribute its share.

"To be honest, I was sure that for such a project, with keywords like sustainability, global warming, and saving planet Earth, it would be very easy to raise money – but it turns out that's not exactly the case."

Q: What kind of reactions are you getting in academia and beyond about this idea?

"Everyone is excited about it," he affirms, "but some professional bodies are skeptical about the costs. Nevertheless, technology companies, countries, and prominent environmental activists have reached out to us and expressed great interest."

However, Rozen expresses surprise at the opposition from certain environmental circles, who fear that a solution to global warming might lead to complacency about pollution. "It's important for me to note that our solution, effective as it may be, needs to coexist with the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions," he emphasizes.

Q: On the subject of opposition – how did October 7 affect your project?

"We had a major partner that left us on October 7. I'm talking about an academic institution from the United Arab Emirates, the National Space Science and Technology Center (NSSTC). They want to continue working on this project, but it's possible they were instructed to stop working with us. We visited them several times, they were our research partners and they also have a larger budget."

Q: Are you in any contact with them?

"No, they're not responding to us right now."

Q: Is there a chance they'll come back to the table?

"Yes, I'm optimistic. It's an academic institution supported by the government, and we had a great relationship that included weekly meetings that led to progress. We were supposed to visit them and present the project at the UN Climate Conference. But they told us not to come and that this project won't be in our pavilion. If the collaboration had continued, we could already be counting down to sending the prototype into space."

Q: What will happen if your plan to send this shade doesn't go through? Are there other solutions for lowering the Earth's temperature?

"Let's start from the premise that we agree the Earth's temperature is rising. As I see it, there are three branches to the solution: The first is to absorb carbon dioxide, CO2, back from the atmosphere or the oceans, thereby reducing the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. This is possible, but we're talking about insane amounts of CO2 that we'd need to liquefy and store, and anything stored can always leak out. It's an option, but it's not without problems."

"The second solution, believe it or not – is painting everything white. The brighter an object is, the more light it reflects and doesn't absorb as heat. When you wear a black shirt you absorb more heat, while a white shirt will lower your temperature."

Q: That doesn't sound very realistic.

"Right. A sub-branch of that is to do it in space. That is, to create more clouds that reflect light and lower the temperature, but there's an extreme game with the weather here."

Q: What are the long-term risks if we don't send this shade? What could happen to the Earth over a few decades?

"I'm a physicist, not a climate scientist, but we're already witnessing more and more disasters and extreme events. If we don't address the problem, we'll see even more of them, with greater damage and a threat to our lives, within two or three decades. If we continue to allow the Earth's temperature to rise over a longer period, we could reach a point where no functioning humanity can solve its problems. It's hard to predict the future, but very negative changes could occur for humans, perhaps even irreversible ones."

Q: There are those talking about relocating humanity to another planet. Your shade solution sounds more realistic.

"If we can't live on Earth, we'll need to find another place. And relocating humanity to another planet – Mars, for example – is much more expensive than the $30 trillion we're talking about. Moreover, think about the extreme conditions on Mars: We'd have to live there in a biosphere because the radiation there is lethal and the temperature is extreme. We'd need spacesuits and a constant oxygen supply. But here, on Earth, we have great conditions, we just need to invest in solutions."

Q: It's sad, but we need a "climate October 7" for people to wake up.

"I have news for you – we're already in a 'climate October 7,' and we're not aware of it because the disaster is ongoing, not happening all at once. Fortunately, we're not annihilating 100 million people in one event, but it's happening gradually. Unfortunately, instead of focusing on a solution that will advance and improve our lives, humanity is invested in another global project that costs us much more – wars. It's so easy for us to spend money on wars, but when it comes to our future here, the expense becomes harder and more complicated. I'll never be able to understand that. We need to take action now, so we don't pay compound interest on our inaction."

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Mindspace, a global flexible workspace provider, says a recent global survey of employees shows a shifting sentiment towards the workplace. "Their latest Employee Wellbeing Data Report reveals that an astonishing 9 out of 10 employees consider wellbeing facilities and offerings to be critical when choosing a workplace, and 82% expect support from their employers in achieving a work-life balance," Mindspace said in a statement.

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It added that the trend of "quiet quitting" could be on its way out as more companies require employees to come to word. "The survey suggests that attitudes towards the workplace and work-life balance continue to shift, with the majority of employees putting more emphasis on mental and physical health and overall wellbeing," the company said in a statement. "Employee wellbeing has become a critical tool for empowering employee productivity and maintaining retention, which companies will need to take into account in order to remain competitive."

The report also deals with what employees feel would be the most impactful thing their employers could do to support their overall wellbeing. Some 43% of participants said flexible working hours would have the greatest benefit. "Other benefits mentioned include flexibility regarding work location (21%), free healthy meals (24%), more vacation days (33%), improved health insurance (16%) and physical amenities such as on-site gyms," the company said.

Some 25% said environments where wellness was not prioritized "adversely affected their desire to stay at the company" with about half of respondents (50%) noting that in such companies workers' motivation would be most affected, followed by productivity (48%) and creativity (28%).

"With companies large and small gradually demanding their employees return to the office, now is the time for employers to rethink a future of work that incorporates flexible working options with regard to work hours and location, and that places more emphasis on benefits enhancing employee wellbeing," said Dan Zakai, Mindspace CEO and Co-Founder. "This latest survey suggests that employees are taking a more holistic approach to their workplace – with growing expectations for hybrid work models, amenities that support work-life balance, or enhanced healthcare coverage. Companies that believe in returning to the office and want to retain their top talent should be forward-thinking and must recognize that built-in wellness amenities are not a luxury but a strategic necessity to promote wellbeing, to boost retention and to drive organizational success."

Mindspace conducted the survey based on interviews of 2,000 office workers across the U.S., U.K., Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Israel.

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Reigo Investments, a global financial real estate technology company using data science and artificial intelligence (AI) to reshape the residential real estate debt market, announced in late March that is closed $100 million securitization of residential bridge loans led by Cantor Fitzgerald, the company announced.

"The transaction marks the company's second securitization completed since June 2021 – a figure it has now doubled to $200 million. Reigo also today announced it has closed a $13 million Series A funding round led by Caesarea Medical Inc., a strategic investor in fintech, insurance, and private equity sectors. The financing will be used to fund Reigo's continued US expansion and for further research and development investment in its platform."

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"Cantor Fitzgerald is thrilled Reigo was able to upsize their inaugural securitization," Deirdre Harrington, Senior Managing Director at Cantor Fitzgerald, said. "We, along with their investors, continue to have confidence in their cutting-edge technology. We're excited to watch Reigo's future growth and believe it will have a positive impact on both the residential transaction loan (RTL) sector as well as expansion into other sectors."

This is the first ever securitization in the short-term real estate debt market to include as part of its investment policy, the AI based 'Reigo score' criteria, thus recognizing the importance of the technology to reduce default rates and optimize the risk-adjusted return for investors, the company said.

Yariv Omer, CEO and Co-Founder, Reigo Investments said, "the way real estate underwriting is done hasn't been updated for years and is based on a limited number of parameters managed in old Excel spreadsheets. The lending community has realized these archaic systems are not capable of getting them to reach their full potential. With our AI-powered platform, we are focused on helping lenders avoid non-performing loans, make faster investment decisions, and create ultra-diverse portfolios across the US to set themselves apart among their borrowers."

With a best-in-class professional real estate credit team combined with its in-house technology development team, Reigo has perfected its machine learning algorithms based on data gathered from hundreds of sources that scores, rates, and selects the best loans. Today, its algorithmic-based approach is redefining the entire underwriting experience by dramatically reducing non-performing loans, decreasing underwriting time from days to hours, and increasing portfolio diversification.

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This year, tech CEOs drew inspiration from a 1990s sci-fi novel, Reddit investors' lexicon seeped into the mainstream as "diamond hands" and "apes" shook Wall Street, and something called a DAO tried to buy a rare copy of the US Constitution.

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If you're still drawing a blank as 2021 wraps up, here's a short glossary:

Metaverse

The metaverse broadly refers to shared, immersive digital environments which people can move between and may access via virtual reality or augmented reality headsets or computer screens.

Some tech CEOs are betting it will be the successor to the mobile internet. The term was coined in the dystopian novel "Snow Crash" three decades ago. This year CEOs of tech companies from Microsoft to Match Group have discussed their roles in building the metaverse. In October, Facebook renamed itself Meta to reflect its new metaverse focus.

Web3

Web3 is used to describe a potential next phase of the internet: a decentralized internet run on the record-keeping technology blockchain.

This model, where users would have ownership stakes in platforms and applications, would differ from today's internet, known as Web2, where a few major tech giants like Facebook and Alphabet's Google control the platforms.

Social audio

Tech companies waxed lyrical this year about tools for live audio conversations, rushing to release features after the buzzy, once invite-only app Clubhouse saw an initial surge amid COVID-19 lockdowns.

NFT

Non-fungible tokens, which exploded in popularity this year, are a type of digital asset that exists on a blockchain, a record of transactions kept on networked computers.

In March, a work by American artist Beeple sold for nearly $70 million at Christie's, the first ever sale by a major auction house of art that does not exist in physical form.

Decentralization

Decentralizing, or the transfer of power and operations from central authorities like companies or governments to the hands of users, emerged as a key theme in the tech industry.

Such shifts could affect everything from how industries and markets are organized to functions like content moderation of platforms. Twitter, for example, is investing in a project to build a decentralized common standard for social networks, dubbed Bluesky.

DAO

A decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) is generally an internet community owned by its members and run on blockchain technology. DAOs use smart contracts, pieces of code that establish the group's rules and automatically execute decisions.

In recent months, crowd-funded crypto-group ConstitutionDAO tried and failed to buy a rare copy of the US Constitution in an auction held by Sotheby's.

Stonks

This deliberate misspelling of "stocks," which originated with an internet meme, made headlines as online traders congregating in forums like Reddit's WallStreetBets drove up stocks including GameStop and AMC. The lingo of these traders, calling themselves "apes" or praising the "diamond hands" who held positions during big market swings, became mainstream.

Gamefi

GameFi is a broad term referring to the trend of gamers earning cryptocurrency through playing video games, where players can make money through mechanisms like getting financial tokens for winning battles in the popular game Axie Infinity.

Altcoin

The term covers all cryptocurrencies aside from Bitcoin, ranging from ethereum, which aims to be the backbone of a future financial system, to Dogecoin, a digital currency originally created as a joke and popularized by Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

FSD Beta

Tesla released a test version of its upgraded Full Self-Driving (FSD) software, a system of driving-assistance features - like automatically changing lanes and make turns – to the wider public this year.

The name of the much-scrutinized software has itself been contentious, with regulators and users saying it misrepresents its capabilities as it still requires driver attention.

Fabs

"Fabs," short for a semiconductor fabrication plant, entered the mainstream lexicon this year as a shortage of chips from fabs were blamed for the global shortage of everything from cars to gadgets.

Net zero

A term, popularized this year thanks to the COP26 UN climate talks in Glasgow, for saying a country, company, or product does not contribute to global greenhouse gas emissions. That's usually accomplished by cutting emissions, such as use of fossil fuels, and balancing any remaining emissions with efforts to soak up carbon, like planting trees. Critics say any emissions are unacceptable.

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Tel Aviv has made the 2021 list of best cities in the world in a compilation by major international publication TimeOut.

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The ranking awards Israel's buzzing metropolis eighth place, ahead of other major tourist cities like Los Angeles, Tokyo, London or Barcelona.

Attributes which launched Tel Aviv ahead of its fierce competitors include the city's great food and drink scene and its reputation as an all-around fun place.

The article also praised the White City's vegan options and thriving tech industry, noting that Tel Avivians had displayed great resilience during COVID outbreaks.

Last June, a TimeOut ranking of the "30 Coolest Streets in the World Right Now" placed Tel Aviv's Levinsky St. at No. 15. The article praised the location's restaurants and cafes, as well as its bars.

These distinctions cannot, however, obscure the fact that real estate prices and the cost of living in Tel Aviv are soaring, pushing young people to retreat to lower-rated central cities.

In the second quarter of 2021, real estate prices in Tel Aviv registered a 10% increase compared to the first quarter of the year. The average price of an apartment in the area is now around $1,091,968, up 20% in two years.

This article was first published by i24NEWS

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Despite the global COVID pandemic of 2020, which affected nearly everyone on the globe, Tel Aviv high-tech companies and startups flourished, according to a new report published by the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality and the IVC Research Center, which reviewed data about the city's innovation ecosystem as of Jan. 15 2021.

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According to the Tel Aviv Innovation Ecosystem Report 2020, Tel Aviv-based tech companies accounted for 20% of the Israeli tech workforce and generated nearly half of the total volume of investments and exits value in 2020.

An assessment of the Tel Aviv tech ecosystem by technology type of technology shows that the city is in continuous transition, from start-up city to deep tech capital. The leading tech clusters in Tel Aviv in 2020 were AI (Artificial Intelligence), Fintech, Big Data and SaaS. AI was the leading tech cluster in Tel Aviv, capturing 43% of all Israeli AI companies, followed by fintech companies (42% of all fintech companies). AI and cyber security cluster were the leaders in terms of investments and exits' volume.

The report also found that in 2020, a record $6.839 billion was invested in 416 Tel Aviv companies. This is 48% of the total investments in Israel and reflects an increase of 34% from 2019. Tel Aviv-based companies comprised 48% of all investments in Israeli tech companies.

In addition, the average round tripled over the past three years from $5.1 million to $16.4 million.

The report found that 60% of the investments in Tel Aviv companies went to scale-up companies, and 30% of the investments to the pre-scale companies. Early-stage companies attracted just 10% of the volume of capital, in line with same trend across Israel.

Over two-thirds (68%) of all investment in Tel Aviv companies was made by foreign investors based in 35 countries, led by the US, followed by the UK, China, and Germany.

When it comes to exists, Tel Aviv tech startups and companies hit a record exit value of $4.43 billion in 53 deals in 2020, 46% of all Israeli exits for the year by value and an increase of 20% over 2019 and a huge leap compared to 2016, which saw $883 million in 36 exits.

Three Tel Aviv companies completed IPOs in leading stock exchanges: NYSE, Nasdaq and Euronext in 2020.

In addition, the report noted that of Tel Aviv's 20 tech unicorns (companies valued at $1 billion or more), 14 reached unicorn status during the pandemic year.

Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai said that "The Tel Aviv-Jaffa innovation ecosystem enjoyed a remarkable year, breaking many records. Throughout the report, it is clear that outstanding human capital is one of the main reasons for the success of the ecosystem.

"Tel Aviv's talent is a magnet for multinational corporations and foreign investors who join the growing local scene of innovators. The tech industry demonstrated its value to our city and country throughout this challenging year, while its cutting-edge ideas and developments remain at the forefront of global innovation. Tel Aviv-Jaffa will remain an international center of attraction for human capital and financial capital," Huldai added.

Taking a broader look at the Tel Aviv tech scene, the report says that 29% of all tech companies in Israel are based in Tel Aviv, which also hosts 115 multinational R&D centers. In the past five years, the number of tech companies active in Tel Aviv grew by 25% compared to a 16% increase in all of Israel, the report notes.

Meanwhile, the years 2016-2020 have seen 44% growth in the number of Tel Aviv-based investors, notably in VC funds and investment groups. According to the report, Tel Aviv witnessed 89% increase in the number of VC funds and 70% increase in the number of venture capital management companies. Foreign investors, who account for 68% of all investors in Tel Aviv companies during 2020, are based in 35 countries, led by the US, followed by the UK, China, and Germany.

Guy Holtzman, founder and CEO of IVC Research Center said, "With 50% of Tel Aviv startups currently at growth stages of development, the city becomes very attractive for foreigners, as shown by the growing number of multinationals and investors involved in Tel Aviv's tech life."

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