Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) has backed Sen. Bernie Sanders‘ (I-VT) criticism of Elon Musk-led Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) and other tech companies’ AI push.
Workers Over Tech Barons, Says Ro Khanna
Quoting a post by Sanders on the social media platform X on Wednesday, the Democratic lawmaker shared that he was backing the Senator in his push for AI technology to be helpful to workers and not “tech barons.” “The AI revolution must be for all of us, not them,” Khanna said.
“I represent Silicon Valley, and I proudly stand with @BernieSanders over @elonmusk!” Khanna said in the post.
Bernie Sanders Vs Elon Musk
The comments follow a heated exchange between Sanders and Musk after the Vermont Independent urged a moratorium on new AI data centers, prompting some choice words from Musk, who called the lawmaker a coward who lacks “any sense of adventure.”
Sanders responded to Musk’s criticism by saying that he was opposed to people losing jobs, reiterating that the goal for AI technology should be to improve everyone’s lives and not exclusively benefit Musk and his “fellow oligarchs” by making them “even richer.”
Sanders had earlier opposed the construction of new datacenters, warning that the tech industry’s AI push posed a threat to jobs, democracy and public resources. It’s worth noting that recent studies have suggested that data centers consume roughly 5% of electricity generated in the U.S., which could climb higher as artificial intelligence use expands.
Elon Musk Touts Orbital Datacenters
Elsewhere, Musk has touted orbital datacenters as a more cost-effective solution to their ground-based counterparts on Earth. The billionaire has also shared that his commercial space flight company SpaceX’s ambitious goals of setting up manufacturing plants on the Lunar surface.
Musk also touted Tesla’s AI capabilities amid a recent chip-making push for the automaker. Musk shared that the company would make more chips than any of its competitors.
Tesla Valuation Eclipses Auto Industry, Sales Fall
Meanwhile, Tesla’s valuation reached $1.58 trillion, which further bolsters its position as the most valuable automaker on the planet, putting it well ahead of rivals, including Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE:TM) and others. Despite the valuation boost, however, Tesla sales continue to fall, with November U.S. sales declining 23% amid headwinds related to President Donald Trump‘s policy changes, among other reasons.
Tesla scores well on Momentum and Quality metrics, while offering satisfactory Growth, but poor Value. It also has a favorable price trend in the Short, Medium and Long term. For more such insights, sign up for Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings today!
Price Action: According to Benzinga Pro data, TSLA declined 4.62% to $467.26 at market close. However, it surged 0.46% to $469.40 during the after-hours session.
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