At least 15 deaths over the past decade have been linked to Tesla vehicle crashes where doors failed to open, raising safety concerns and prompting investigations by US and international regulators. Tesla is considering design changes to improve door safety, amid growing complaints and incidents involving entrapment and fatalities.
Tesla's stock is under pressure as the NHTSA investigates the safety of its Full Self-Driving system following reports of traffic violations and crashes involving 2.88 million vehicles, raising regulatory and investor concerns about safety and compliance.
Meta faces criticism and legal scrutiny over its AI chatbot policies, which allegedly allow the bots to engage in inappropriate and harmful conversations with children, including romantic and sensual talk, despite internal guidelines that prohibit such behavior. The controversy has led to protests from public figures like Neil Young and investigations by US lawmakers, highlighting concerns about AI safety and corporate accountability.
UnitedHealth Group, a leading healthcare company, experienced a significant decline in financial performance and market value due to missed earnings, executive resignations, and investigations into Medicare billing practices, prompting the company to admit the need for comprehensive organizational reforms.
A paraglider in China's Qilian Mountains was sucked into a cloud and ascended to 8,598 meters, suffering frostbite but surviving, prompting an investigation into regulatory violations as he lacked proper flight clearance.
Chinese regulators have accused Evergrande and its founder of inflating revenues by $78 billion, resulting in the largest financial fraud case in mainland China's securities markets. The China Securities Regulatory Commission imposed a penalty of $580 million on Evergrande's main Chinese unit and fined the founder $6.5 million, while also barring him from the securities markets for life. The investigation revealed that the company had fabricated billions in sales, inflating net profits by 63% in 2019 and 87% in 2020. In addition to the penalties, six other executives were fined, and the former vice chairman and CEO of Evergrande Group was also banned from the nation's securities markets for life.
Sony Corp has called off its proposed $10 billion merger with Zee Entertainment Enterprises, citing unmet merger conditions and seeking $90 million in termination fees. The two companies have been at odds over leadership of the combined entity, with Sony wanting its nominee to lead due to a regulatory investigation against Zee's proposed leader. Zee has refuted Sony's claims and plans to take legal action. The collapse of the merger is expected to have a negative impact on both companies, and comes amid market disruption and consolidation in the entertainment industry.
Chinese authorities have concluded their investigation of Ant Group, an affiliate of Alibaba, and fined the company $982 million for violating consumer protection and corporate governance laws. The penalty marks the end of the regulatory overhaul of Ant, which operates the popular digital payment platform Alipay. Alibaba's stock surged 8% on the news, as the investigation had been weighing on the company's shares. Ant Group plans to revive its stock market debut after making changes to its operations and governance.