Investors like Amazon and BlackRock are betting these 10 EV startups have the best chance of becoming the next Tesla

* Tesla's soaring stock price has amplified the excitement around electric vehicles (EVs), leading to IPOs and fresh rounds of funding for startups that hope to replicate Tesla's success. * But investors have been placing their bets on the next generation of EV startups for years, pouring, in some cases, billions of dollars into companies that say their vehicles will set new benchmarks in the auto industry. * Below are the 10 electric-vehicle startups that have received the most money, according to Pitchbook. * While Nio has raised more money than many of the startups on this list, it was excluded since it went public and started making vehicles in 2018. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. SEE ALSO: The quirkiest vintage gas stations you can still visit on a road trip, from a photographer who spent 40 years documenting whimsical roadside attractions across the US 10. Canoo * Total capital raised: $1 billion * Most recent valuation: N/A 9. Lucid Motors * Total capital raised: $1.2 billion * Most recent valuation: N/A since 2009 8. Singulato Motors * Total capital raised: $1.2 billion * Most recent valuation: N/A 7. Byton * Total capital raised: $1.2 billion * Most recent valuation: N/A Byton announced a six-month pause of its operations in June. 6. Youxia Motors * Total capital raised: $1.3 billion * Most recent valuation: $1.9 billion 5. Li Auto * Total capital raised: $2 billion * Most recent valuation: $4.1 billion 4. Xpeng * Total capital raised: $4.1 billion * Most recent valuation: $4 billion 3. Faraday Future * Total capital raised: $4.4 billion * Most recent valuation: $4.4 billion 2. WM Motor * Total capital raised: $5 billion * Most recent valuation: N/A 1. Rivian * Total capital raised: $6 billion * Most recent valuation: N/A * Read more: * The CEO of Lucid Motors reveals the important lesson his former boss Elon Musk taught him about leadership * The CEO of EV startup Rivian explains why he thinks it will beat Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW with its first 2 electric vehicles * Tesla, Nikola, Rivian, GM, and more are set for a battle over the huge new demand for electric trucks, buses, and vans * Trump says he personally urged Elon Musk to build Tesla's new $1 billion factory in Texas
https://bit.ly/2BwDITr

SpaceX has a 'go' from NASA to return 2 astronauts to Earth on Sunday as Hurricane Isaias threatens several Florida splashdown locations

* NASA on Saturday gave SpaceX a "go" to undock the company's first crewed space mission, called Demo-2, and land it on Sunday evening. * Hurricane Isaias complicated original plans to return two astronauts to Earth aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spaceship in the Atlantic Ocean. * Elon Musk's aerospace company may now try to splash down NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley in the Gulf of Mexico. * Two out of seven total landing sites near Florida must have good weather conditions, and NASA has until about 5 p.m. ET on Saturday to call off the undocking. * Should the weather worsen, NASA and SpaceX can try again a day later or some other date over the next two months. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley have a "go" to return to Earth this weekend and wrap up an historic space mission for both NASA and SpaceX. Behnken and Hurley launched to orbit aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon vehic...

What an independent contractor actually is and how it's classified under California's Assembly Bill 5, the gig worker law Uber, Lyft, and others are fighting with a November ballot measure

* California's Assembly Bill 5 (AB5) went into effect in January, adopting a narrow definition of independent contractor that forces Uber and other gig economy businesses to choose between reclassifying workers as employees or risking significant liability for misclassification. * The law serves as a reminder to California businesses to be careful when classifying workers as contractors. * Classifying independent contractors falls into two main categories: the "right to control" test (often called the "IRS test") and the tougher "ABC test" recently adopted in AB5. * Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash have recently poured $30 million into Proposition 22 — a ballot measure intended to exempt major ridesharing and food delivery companies from AB5. If California residents vote the measure into effect in November, Uber and Lyft can continue classifying drivers as contractors. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. In September 2019, Californ...

PayPal parts with top advertising executive after shifting its marketing strategy during the pandemic

* PayPal's chief creative officer Steve Simpson, its top advertising executive, left the company after about a year. * The move came after PayPal shifted its marketing strategy during the coronavirus pandemic, placing less emphasis on the brand and more on catering to small businesses, said a source with direct knowledge of the marketing operation. * Simpson's departure followed that of CMO and former Apple executive Allison Johnson in May. Both "decided to leave PayPal" as the company streamlines its global marketing functions, according to a PayPal spokeswoman. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. PayPal's highest-ranking ad executive Steve Simpson left earlier this month after just over a year as part of a restructuring of its global marketing business. Simpson, who was chief creative officer, was hired to make high-minded ad campaigns to help PayPal stand out from competitors like Square, Stripe, and Apple Pay. But this strategy chan...

Real IT Center