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Apr 4, 2025

Bytes: Week in Review — TikTok’s new bidders, Tesla sales slump and OpenAI raises $40 billion

Maria Curi of Axios joins Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino for “Tech Bytes: Week in Review.”

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Bytes: Week in Review —  TikTok’s new bidders, Tesla sales slump and OpenAI raises $40 billion
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OpenAI — the maker of ChatGPT — keeps raising more money, this time in a $40 billion round led by SoftBank. We’ll get into the strings attached in Marketplace “Tech Bytes — Week in Review.”

Plus, what’s going on with Tesla’s sales slump? And how much is its polarizing CEO, Elon Musk, to blame?

But first, the clock is ticking on a TikTok sale. The extended deadline, which may or may not be a real deadline according to President Donald Trump, is coming Saturday.

As of this episode’s recording, the hugely popular short-form video app was supposed to find a U.S. buyer or be banned, and plenty of suitors have thrown their hats into the ring.

Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Maria Curi, tech policy reporter at Axios, about all these topics and more.

Everything we talked about

“AppLovin and Amazon Emerge as TikTok Bidders Ahead of Trump’s Deadline” from The Wall Street Journal

“Amazon and OnlyFans Founder Join the List of TikTok Bidders as Ban Looms” from Gizmodo

“Tesla (TSLA) deliveries down 43% in Europe while EVs are up 31%” from Electrek

“‘Don’t buy a Swasticar’: Anti-Elon Musk Tesla advert goes viral” from Euronews

“OpenAI just raised another $40 billion round led by SoftBank” from The Verge

“Ghibli effect: ChatGPT usage hits record after rollout of viral feature” from Reuters

The Team

Bytes: Week in Review — TikTok’s new bidders, Tesla sales slump and OpenAI raises $40 billion