Bridge Probe, Tesla Layoffs, and Doomsday Architecture

Baltimore Bridge Probe 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has reportedly launched a criminal probe into last month's collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. The investigation will focus on whether the crew departed the port knowing the Singapore-based cargo ship had system issues, violating federal maritime law. The March 26 crash killed six members of a repair crew and halted shipping traffic in the Port of Baltimore (see previous write-up).

In related news, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott (D) yesterday announced legal action against the ship’s owner, charterer, operator, and manufacturer. The FBI investigation is separate from a probe by the National Transportation Safety Board, which is focusing on the vessel’s electrical power system. Attorneys representing three of the construction workers involved said they are also pursuing legal action.

The ship’s owners filed a court petition last month to limit their liability from the crash. See how a 173-year-old maritime law could determine who owes what.

Tesla's Internal Shake-Up

Tesla is planning to lay off over 14,000 employees—more than 10% of its global workforce—in its first large-scale layoffs in over a year, according to an internal memo this week. The company's electric vehicle sales have begun to stagnate amid a decline in demand and increased competition from Chinese carmakers. Tesla's shares fell over 5% on the news. 

CEO Elon Musk said the layoffs are part of cost-cutting measures as the company prepares for its next phase of growth. Also yesterday, two top executives at Tesla announced their departure: engineering executive Drew Baglino and policy and outreach executive Rohan Patel.

The shake-up comes after Tesla earlier this month posted its first year-over-year decline in quarterly sales since 2020. The report came after China’s BYD briefly overtook Tesla as the world's top seller of battery electric vehicles last year. In January, Musk said Tesla would soon release a cheaper, $25K model rumored to compete with BYD. That plan has now reportedly been tabled, with Musk prioritizing the debut of a robotaxi fleet in August.

'Rust' Armorer Sentenced

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer who handled the weapons on the set of the Western film "Rust," was sentenced to 18 months in prison yesterday for the October 2021 shooting death of the film's cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins. 

Gutierrez-Reed, 27, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter by a New Mexico jury in March for erroneously putting a live round into a prop gun (see 101). Alec Baldwin, the film's star and coproducer, fired the loaded weapon during rehearsal, shooting the 42-year-old Hutchins. Baldwin, 66, faces his own trial July 10 on an involuntary manslaughter charge for which he has pleaded not guilty. 

Attorneys for Gutierrez-Reed plan to file an appeal. The defense argued the armorer was not given enough time to check the weapon and that Baldwin was reckless with the prop. Prosecutors argued Gutierrez-Reed failed to take accountability in her role, pointing to her recorded conversations from jail, where she has been held for the past month.

Brothers Solve $100B Problem for Their Mother

After seeing their mother struggle with depression, Forbes 30 Under 30 brothers Steve and Daniel Lee pioneered a mental wellness solution that can help anyone. Aura, their all-in-one mental wellness marketplace, is transforming the $100B mental wellness market. 

Aura grew quickly to over 8 million users and 100k+ paying subscribers, and attracted investments from prominent Silicon Valley investors and executives from Spotify, Facebook, Uber, Masterclass, and Apple. They have already raised $10M+, and have opened a new round for the public for a limited time. 

Why invest? Aura is disrupting the mental wellness space through its marketplace model—using the same flywheel fueling Uber and Airbnb’s growth. Top Silicon Valley investors are trusting Aura to become the world’s #1 mental wellness company. Join 2,000+ investors backing Aura—closing on 4/29.*

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