menu_open Columnists
Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Observer

We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

Mark Zuckerberg Had a ‘Crazy Idea’ to Save Facebook’s Decline, Antitrust Case Reveals

In a bid to boost the app's popularity, Zuckerberg in 2022 proposed deleting everyone's Facebook friends.

latest 8

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Google’s New A.I. Model Aims to Decipher Dolphin Language

Google’s New A.I. Model Aims to Decipher Dolphin Language

Google's DolphinGemma LLM could help researchers finally communicate with dolphins.

yesterday 2

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

How Are the ‘Magnificent 7’ Companies Faring Amid Trump’s Tariffs?

How Are the ‘Magnificent 7’ Companies Faring Amid Trump’s Tariffs?

To say it's been a tumultuous two weeks for the group of tech stocks dubbed the "Magnificent Seven" would be an understatement.

yesterday 2

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon Says Tariffs Could Spook International Clients

Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon Says Tariffs Could Spook International Clients

Solomon said Goldman's overseas clients "don't like the level of uncertainty" of the U.S. economy.

previous day 2

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Wall Street CEOs Speak Out on Tariffs and Recession Fears on Earnings Calls

Wall Street CEOs Speak Out on Tariffs and Recession Fears on Earnings Calls

Jamie Dimon, Larry Fink and Charles Scharf today used their first-quarter earnings to sound off on the turbulent market impacts of the Trump...

11.04.2025 2

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Amazon’s Starlink Rival, Project Kuiper, Is Finally Ready for Launch

Amazon’s Starlink Rival, Project Kuiper, Is Finally Ready for Launch

Amazon’s satellite internet project is finally preparing for liftoff as it challenges SpaceX’s dominance in orbit.

11.04.2025 10

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Christmas Is Either Cancelled or About to Get A Lot More Expensive

Christmas Is Either Cancelled or About to Get A Lot More Expensive

A $500 artificial tree will double in price to more than $1,000, an industry expert told Observer.

11.04.2025 8

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

How Will Tim Cook Navigate the 125% Tariff on China-Made iPhones?

How Will Tim Cook Navigate the 125% Tariff on China-Made iPhones?

Tim Cook managed to secure an exemption during Trump trade war 1.0. This time won't be that easy.

10.04.2025 5

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

A $10B Gene-Editing Startup Has (Sort of) Brought Back the Extinct Dire Wolf

A $10B Gene-Editing Startup Has (Sort of) Brought Back the Extinct Dire Wolf

Colossal has managed to breed after genetically engineering ancient dire wolf DNA into genomes of grey wolves, their closest living relatives.

09.04.2025 3

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Wall Street Leaders Finally Turn on Trump’s Tariffs

Wall Street Leaders Finally Turn on Trump’s Tariffs

"We are heading for a self-induced, economic nuclear winter," said Bill Ackman, a vocal Trump supporter.

08.04.2025 3

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

How America’s Largest Carmakers Respond to Trump’s Auto Tariffs—For Now

How America’s Largest Carmakers Respond to Trump’s Auto Tariffs—For Now

Auto experts say carmakers are preparing for both the tariffs staying and going away soon.

08.04.2025 20

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

OpenAI Eyes a Mysterious Startup Backed By Sam Altman and Former Apple Designer Jony Ive

OpenAI Eyes a Mysterious Startup Backed By Sam Altman and Former Apple Designer Jony Ive

The ChatGPT-maker is reportedly considering a $500 million bid for an A.I. personal device startup.

07.04.2025 3

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Bill Gates Celebrates Microsoft’s 50th Anniversary With Its Original Source Code

Bill Gates Celebrates Microsoft’s 50th Anniversary With Its Original Source Code

"The code remains the coolest code I've ever written to this day," said Gates.

04.04.2025 3

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

OpenAI’s o3 Reasoning Models Are Extremely Expensive to Run

OpenAI’s o3 Reasoning Models Are Extremely Expensive to Run

Testing OpenAI's o3 model may cost as much as $30,000 per task.

04.04.2025 6

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Microsoft Turns 50: Where Are Its 12 Founding Employees Today?

Microsoft Turns 50: Where Are Its 12 Founding Employees Today?

Microsoft's earliest employees went on to become freelance journalists, volunteer firefighters and cattle ranch owners.

04.04.2025 4

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Nike and Adidas Are Getting Trampled by Trump Tariffs Targeting Vietnam

Nike and Adidas Are Getting Trampled by Trump Tariffs Targeting Vietnam

Most footwear brands depend on Vietnam for between 40 percent and 90 percent of their sourcing.

03.04.2025 3

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Meta’s A.I. Research Head Joelle Pineau Steps Down

Meta’s A.I. Research Head Joelle Pineau Steps Down

Meta is losing one of its top A.I. researchers at a pivotal moment.

03.04.2025 10

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Elon Musk Faces a ‘Fork-in-the-Road’ Moment as Tesla Delivery Plummets

Elon Musk Faces a ‘Fork-in-the-Road’ Moment as Tesla Delivery Plummets

Tesla delivered 13 percent fewer electric vehicles in the first quarter.

02.04.2025 3

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Trump Tariffs Push for ‘American-Made’ Cars—But They Don’t Exist

Trump Tariffs Push for ‘American-Made’ Cars—But They Don’t Exist

"I don't envision a space where 100 percent of the parts for any vehicle are produced in the United States," said auto analyst Stephanie Brinley.

01.04.2025 2

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Signal Sees a Surge in App Downloads after Signalgate

Signal Sees a Surge in App Downloads after Signalgate

Global downloads of Signal in the past three months jumped by 300 percent compared to the same time period last year.

31.03.2025 2

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

5 Space Missions to Watch in April 2025: Polar Orbits, Space Weather and NASA’s Lucy

5 Space Missions to Watch in April 2025: Polar Orbits, Space Weather and NASA’s Lucy

April will bring a flurry of space missions from the likes of NASA, SpaceX, Roscosmos and ULA.

31.03.2025 3

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Is Tesla Truly Immune to Trump’s Auto Tariffs? Yes and No.

Is Tesla Truly Immune to Trump’s Auto Tariffs? Yes and No.

Tesla benefits from making its U.S. vehicles domestically. But the concept of a car made entirely with U.S. parts "is a fictional tale," said an...

29.03.2025 2

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Former Citi CEO Sandy Weill Donates $50M to Unite Cancer Researchers

Former Citi CEO Sandy Weill Donates $50M to Unite Cancer Researchers

The billionaire financier's gift will bring four institutions together to bolster cancer research.

28.03.2025 2

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Wikipedia Built the Internet’s Brain. Now Its Leaders Want Credit.

Wikipedia Built the Internet’s Brain. Now Its Leaders Want Credit.

Wikipedia has always run on volunteer power and idealism. Now it’s running into A.I.’s bottomless appetite. In candid conversations with Observer,...

28.03.2025 3

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

JPMorgan Just Beat Big Tech to a Quantum Breakthrough

JPMorgan Just Beat Big Tech to a Quantum Breakthrough

Lava lamps, lottery balls and mouse cursors have long stood in for real-world randomness. Now JPMorgan Chase, with a 56-qubit machine and a...

28.03.2025 6

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Nvidia’s A.I. ‘Super Bowl’ Is an Economic Boon for San Jose

Nvidia’s A.I. ‘Super Bowl’ Is an Economic Boon for San Jose

No where else is Nvidia's soaring popularity more evident than in San Jose's downtown district, where the chipmaker's GTC conference has been held...

26.03.2025 7

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Warren Buffett’s March Madness Contest Finally Yields a $1M Winner

Warren Buffett’s March Madness Contest Finally Yields a $1M Winner

For nearly a decade now, Warren Buffett has been trying to lose $1 million. This year, the Berkshire Hathaway head finally succeeded. 

25.03.2025 8

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Reed Hastings Gives Bowdoin $50 Million to Ponder the Soul of A.I.

The donation is the largest in the liberal arts college's 231-year history.

24.03.2025 4

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Private Space Stations Are the Next Frontier of the Billionaire Space Race

Forget rockets—wealthy space enthusiasts are now racing to build commercial space stations.

22.03.2025 3

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

EV Makers Polestar and Lucid Are Cashing In On the Tesla Backlash

Rival electric vehicle companies are poaching Tesla customers.

22.03.2025 2

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Sam Altman Backs a Community College That Offers Two-Year A.I. Degrees

The OpenAI founder is investing in a for-profit community college looking to make higher education more accessible.

21.03.2025 20

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Bluesky’s ‘World Without Caesars’ T-Shirt Sells Better Than Its Domain Service

The social media company is making a killing from its anti-billionaire T-shirts.

21.03.2025 4

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Investors Urge Elon Musk to Return to Tesla—or Find a New CEO

"The business has been neglected for too long," said Ross Gerber, an early Tesla investor.

20.03.2025 10

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

5 Scientists in History Who Inspired the Names of Nvidia’s A.I. Chips

Naming chips after prominent scientists has been a decades-long tradition at Nvidia.

20.03.2025 6

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Google Announces Largest Acquisition Ever as M&A Climate Shifts in Washington

Google has agreed to acquire the cybersecurity startup Wiz for $32 billion.

19.03.2025 10

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Warren Buffett Really Wants Someone to Win His $1M March Madness Bracket Contest

Buffett is hoping Berkshire Hathaway's $1 million prize will be awarded "while I'm still around."

18.03.2025 3

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

These Space Companies Compete for Lucrative NASA Contracts—They Also Support Each Other

"The lunar economy can't be done by a monopoly. It really takes a village," said a NASA official.

18.03.2025 4

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault Extends His Own Retirement Age Again to 85

Arnault, 76, raised the retirement age limit of LVMH CEO and chairman to 80 three years ago.

17.03.2025 7

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Rivian Design Chief Draws Inspirations From Carabiners, Ghibli and 80’s Race Cars: Interview

A hallmark of good design is: "Can you close your eyes and still remember it?"

17.03.2025 10

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Patagonia Nonprofit Head Explains Why Its Owner Yvon Chouinar Gave Away the Company

Instead of selling it or taking the company public, Patagonia in 2022 adopted a purpose trust structure.

14.03.2025 4

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Who Is Lip-Bu Tan, Intel’s New Turnaround CEO?

Lip-Bu Tan will take the helm of Intel on March 18. Courtesy Intel Intel’s stock is soaring after Lip-Bu Tan, a respected veteran in the...

13.03.2025 7

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Meta’s A.I. Safety Head Defends Removing Guardrails in A.I. Models

"There have been more and more guardrails that have been put in place at many organizations—almost an overcorrection," said Ella Irwin.

12.03.2025 9

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Apple TV+ Chief Unpacks Costly Content Strategy with ‘Severence’ Director


Severance is "the perfect show to be on Apple."

11.03.2025 8

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Bluesky CEO Jay Graber Is Building a Billionaire-Proof Social Media Site

Bluesky's Jay Graber has a pointed message for tech billionaires.

11.03.2025 6

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Colossal Biosciences CEO Dissects the $10B Startup’s Effort to Bring Back Extinct Animals

Resurrecting the woolly mammoth is a "colossal" undertaking.

10.03.2025 6

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Financier Ross Stevens Makes $100M ‘Extremely Innovative’ Gift to US Olympians

A pledge from Ross Stevens offers eligible U.S. athletes at least $200,000 in post-retirement benefits.

08.03.2025 10

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Once Again, Michael Bloomberg is America’s Most Generous Philanthropist

The philanthropist doled out $3.7 billion last year.

07.03.2025 10

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

OpenAI Co-founder Ilya Sutskever’s Secretive Startup Is Now Worth $30B

Employees are advised against mentioning the company on their LinkedIn profiles.

07.03.2025 4

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Mark Zuckerberg’s Money Manager Discusses DeepSeek and Investing in A.I. Startups

Iconiq Capital, which manages wealth for tech billionaires, is extremely picky when investing in A.I. startups.

06.03.2025 10

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

A.I. Pioneers Andrew Barto and Richard Sutton Win the Turing Award

This year's Turing Award goes to Andrew Barto and Richard Sutton, two researchers who have warned against A.I.'s rapid development.

05.03.2025 4

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly