LAS VEGAS – X CEO Linda Yaccarino took center stage on the first day of CES 2025 on Tuesday. Tech enthusiasts flocked to the venue to see the latest AI-powered robots, software, drones, and more.
In a high-profile keynote speech at a multi-day event hosted by the Consumer Technology Association, Yaccarino boasted that the Elon Musk-owned social media platform is heading into 2025 at “breakneck speed.”
In a roundtable discussion with keynote host Katherine Herridge, an award-winning investigative journalist who was fired from CBS News last year, Yaccarino spoke about the “Holy Grail,” which focused on advertising called “Trending Genius.” ” feature was advertised.
The software automatically boosts ad campaigns on X if they link to trending topics, such as the LVMH partnership with actress Zendaya, which soared during the Golden Globes.
“This is something only X can do,” Yaccarino said, adding that since Musk acquired Twitter for $44 billion in 2022, X has “developed and shipped more than 250 product innovations.” spoke.
She added that the feature has been beta tested within the past few months.
Yaccarino was interviewed just hours after Mark Zuckerberg, boss of rival Meta Inc., announced he was abandoning widely criticized fact-checking in favor of an X-style “community notes” feature. Ta.
“Mark, Meta – welcome to the party,” Yaccarino quipped.
She was also asked about Musk's new role as Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) secretary alongside Vivek Ramaswamy and whether it will impact X.
“I don't think there's anyone better to do that than Elon and Vivek,” Yaccarino said. “As Americans, we should all be rooting for Mr. Doge's overwhelming success. We hope other countries will follow suit.”
Elsewhere at the world's largest trade show, tech policy experts held a heated debate over whether antitrust enforcement in Washington, D.C., is helping or hurting innovation. We confronted each other.
Luther Lowe, a prominent critic of Google and head of public policy at startup-focused Y Combinator, said search giants and Big Tech companies like Apple are trying to protect themselves at the expense of other companies. He warned that by taking actions that benefit them, they are “trying to cut off the oxygen supply.” smaller competitors.
“Big Tech could coexist with Little Tech if there was strong enforcement against that kind of behavior outside of the Sherman Act,” Lowe said.
Experts on both sides of the debate said President-elect Donald Trump's selection of Gayle Slater to head the Department of Justice and Andrew Ferguson to chair the FTC is a sign that he will continue his tough approach to competition policy. There was almost agreement that it shows.
“They're going to be guided by serious, pro-innovation policies,” said Tyler Grimm, president of Miller Strategies and former chief counsel on the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee.
The Las Vegas Convention Center's exhibit floor featured thousands of exhibits, including a giant Segway display with a robotic lawn mower.
Tech giant Siemens' stand included details about its partnership with aviation startup JetZero. JetZero is using the company's design software to fine-tune a futuristic wide-body airliner with a top-mounted engine and separate bag storage. A Siemens representative said the two companies aim to have a flying airplane by 2030.
A large crowd gathered at the booth of Chinese robotics company Unitree, whose humanoid robot shook hands with attendees and performed backflips in front of shocked attendees.
Elsewhere, Xpeng Aero HT showed off what it dubbed a “land aircraft carrier,” an electric van with a flying vehicle that fits in its trunk. The company plans to make first deliveries in 2026.
CES attendees were still buzzing about Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's keynote from the night before, which played in the lobby as guests arrived at the convention center.
At the crowded Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort, Huang unveiled Nvidia's powerful next-generation Blackwell AI chip lineup and received a rockstar-like reception. Participants lined up for hours to get in.
At one point, the billionaire, wearing his trademark leather jacket, carries a “shield” displaying a complete AI chip architecture on stage for several minutes before making a raucous joke about wanting a beer. It drew laughter from the audience.
As Huang mentioned some of the buzzwords that fans of the chip supplier have come to expect from his speeches, some content creators in the audience joked about playing “Nvidia Bingo.”
The chip, which uses AI to render incredibly realistic graphics on devices used by gamers and software developers, initially drove Nvidia stock to all-time highs and drew positive reviews from analysts. This was the highlight of the presentation. After that, the stock price plummeted as the overall market declined.
Huang also spoke extensively about plans for new AI models, including Nvidia Cosmos, a so-called “world-based model.” The executive said the company will ramp up efforts to train software that helps unmanned vehicles and robots navigate the physical world.
Many CES attendees and exhibitors joked that it was nearly impossible to find a booth that didn't involve some form of AI.
