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Episode #1254: GM takes a multibillion-dollar EV hit but says 2026 looks brighter, white-hat hackers cash in by cracking EV chargers and infotainment systems, and the airline industry gets its annual report card

• General Motors closed 2025 with a wider quarterly loss after taking billions in EV and China-related charges. But underneath the headline number, core profits held up, cash flowed in North America, and GM is signaling confidence that 2026 will be stronger.
  • GM reported a $3.3B Q4 net loss after booking more than $7B in charges, largely tied to cutting back EV production and restructuring its China joint venture.
  • Adjusted EBIT rose 13% in the quarter, and GM earned $10.5B in North America for the year, resulting in profit-sharing bonuses up to $10,500 for UAW workers.
  • EV losses are projected to improve by $1B–$1.5B in 2026
  • CEO Mary Barra told shareholders the company sees stability ahead: “We expect the U.S. new vehicle market will continue to be resilient… 2026 should be an even better year for GM.”

• From EV chargers to infotainment systems, the Pwn2Own Automotive 2025 competition exposed how much of the industry is still very hackable.
  • Hackers earned $886,250 uncovering nearly 50 zero-day vulnerabilities in EV chargers, infotainment systems, and automotive software
  • Infotainment systems from Kenwood, Sony, and Alpine were successfully exploited, along with chargers from ChargePoint, Autel, Ubiquiti, Phoenix Contact, WolfBox, and Tesla.
  • Tesla Wall Connectors alone accounted for more than $140,000 in payouts, while the overall winning team, Summoning Team, took home $222,250.
  • Notably, no one attempted to hack a Tesla vehicle, despite a car and large cash prizes on the table.
• If 2025 felt like a rough year to fly, you’re not wrong. But turbulence hit everyone. What separated airlines wasn’t the chaos—it was execution. The Wall Street Journal’s airline scorecard crowns a new winner and reshuffles the pecking order.
  • (Worst → Best): Frontier (T-last), American (T-last), JetBlue (7th), United (6th), Spirit (5th), Alaska (4th), Delta (3rd), Allegiant (2nd), Southwest (1st).
  • Southwest wins for the first time since 2020, ending Delta’s four-year streak with strong all-around operations and industry-low complaints.
  • Explaining Southwest’s edge, COO Andrew Watterson said the airline avoids the “easy” option when things go sideways: “It’s very easy to cancel a flight. That’s the path of least resistance.”

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