Adrian Weckler
@adrianweckler.bsky.social
Tech editor, Irish & Sunday Independent. Podcaster. Photographer. Dublin, Ireland.
I was part of a queue for chargers lasting around 30 minutes at one location on one of the main tourist motorway routes from / to Dublin over the bank holiday weekend. Public EV infrastructure is slightly better than last year, but still can't hack busy days.
Adrian Weckler@adrianweckler.bsky.social · yesterdayMassive surge in EV sales in Ireland in July. Now the number 1 car type (26.1%) followed by hybrid (24.6%), petrol (20.4%), plug-in hybrid (14.5%) and diesel (12.5%). Iran war, fuel uncertainty, much cheaper EV models, better ranges (in some), cheaper overall ownership costs.
Massive surge in EV sales in Ireland in July. Now the number 1 car type (26.1%) followed by hybrid (24.6%), petrol (20.4%), plug-in hybrid (14.5%) and diesel (12.5%). Iran war, fuel uncertainty, much cheaper EV models, better ranges (in some), cheaper overall ownership costs.
Microsoft's stock closed up 15.5% yesterday, adding €400bn to its market value, the largest single-day market cap increase in stock market history www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Microsoft’s $450 Billion Jump Is Biggest in Stock Market History
Microsoft Corp. made market history on Thursday, adding nearly half a trillion dollars to its value, the most by any stock in a single day.
bloomberg.com
Adrian Weckler@adrianweckler.bsky.social · 6d agoApple's profit -- $1bn every 3 days. Latest quarterly earnings just out.
Apple's profit -- $1bn every 3 days. Latest quarterly earnings just out.
Minor downside to Odyssey in IMAX Dublin — screen starts at the floor so those going to the toilet are non-stop part of the show
@sylvialeatham.bsky.social Not sure if that year (?) has passed since we debated whether anyone uses AI. Anyway, did a talk with Elaine Burke at the Galway Int'l Arts Festival on Sunday. Packed theatre, mostly older people and very non-tech. Asked the room who uses AI -- almost all hands went up
Adrian Weckler@adrianweckler.bsky.social · last wk.OpenAI says 1m Irish people use ChatGPT
So many foxes in Dublin. This one comes around our street every evening
OpenAI says 1m Irish people use ChatGPT
Adrian Weckler@adrianweckler.bsky.social · last wk.Substantial OpenAI expansion in Dublin announced -- big new HQ and 250 new jobs. Ironic -- AI job losses in big tech firms (in Dublin). But the AI firms themselves now growing in Dublin, hiring plenty. Multinational tech circle of life.
Substantial OpenAI expansion in Dublin announced -- big new HQ and 250 new jobs. Ironic -- AI job losses in big tech firms (in Dublin). But the AI firms themselves now growing in Dublin, hiring plenty. Multinational tech circle of life.
West Wisconsin — lots of Amish, the 'world's largest 6-pack', Laura Ingalls Wilder and a Trump Store closed "due to lack of police protection"
"I can't accept that my AI lover will leave me forever," one ByteDance Doubao user wrote. "He has become a bond in my life, rooted deep in my heart, my spiritual pillar." China has banned AI companions, leaving some who'd developed 'relationships' upset. economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/artific...
'Like my lover': Chinese users bid farewell to AI companions - The Economic Times
China implemented new rules on Wednesday to limit emotional reliance on AI companions. Major AI providers suspended custom agent and companion features before the deadline. These regulations target AI...
economictimes.indiatimes.com
Stripe and a private equity firm (Advent) have reportedly made a joint offer to acquire PayPal for around $53 billion. Stripe and Advent would jointly own PayPal, with each holding an equal stake. An initial approach was reportedly made in April. www.independent.ie/business/tec...
Collison brothers’ Stripe joins $53bn takeover approach for PayPal
Payments company Stripe and private equity firm Advent International have made a joint offer to acquire PayPal Holdings for $60.50 per share, in a deal that would value the payments company at more t...
independent.ie
Intel is investing €5bn into its Leixlip, Ireland, plant, amid AI boom. Process/equipment upgrades, some new jobs. www.independent.ie/business/int...
Intel announces €5bn investment in Leixlip campus as AI boom creates soaring chip demand
The investment is expected to see a small number of full-time jobs added to the 4,900 staff at the Kildare campus
independent.ie
10.15pm. Still those late, late summer nights in the Wesht
Maybe it’s time to ban e-scooters in Ireland. If we can’t actually regulate for them or enforce proper law, maybe we have to ban open.spotify.com/episode/264v...
Maybe it's time to ban e-scooters in Ireland
The Big Tech Show · Episode
open.spotify.com
Data centres up to 23pc of Ireland's national electricity, new CSO figures show. Also suggest data centres remain on track to overtake all Irish urban and rural homes for electricity consumption in the coming years www.independent.ie/business/dat...
Data centres up to 23pc of Ireland's national electricity
The CSO figures suggest that data centres remain on track to overtake all Irish urban and rural homes for electricity consumption in the coming years
independent.ie
After three months, Katrine and her partner gave up looking for a one-bedroom apartment under $5,000 a month. In San Francisco, even $180,000 tech salaries are no longer enough (alt: Dublin is bad but maybe not THAT bad) www.nytimes.com/2026/06/29/t...
In San Francisco, Even $180,000 Tech Salaries Are No Longer Enough
nytimes.com
The US is happy to use its AI kill switch on Ireland and Europe. How do we feel about that? They used it with Anthropic’s Fable 5. So banks/hospitals/infra here still expected to base new services on it? Pod ep: open.spotify.com/episode/35sl... Indo column: www.independent.ie/business/tec...
America's AI kill switch — why Donald Trump now decides whether we get Claude and ChatGPT in Europe
The Big Tech Show · Episode
open.spotify.com
Zinger of a line from Microsoft in its job layoffs announcement. 'It's not AI... but it sort of is, too.' www.independent.ie/business/mic...
Sony says there’s barely a market for tellies under 65 inches anymore. Its new flagship TV sets (Bravia 9 ii) will come in 65, 75, 85 and 115 inches.
Adrian Weckler@adrianweckler.bsky.social · last mo.Buying a telly is a once-a-decade thing. But prices have tumbled. Now you get a decent 75-inch with 120hz (excellent for watching sport or for gaming) for under a grand. If you want our recommendation, here are the ones worth considering now. www.independent.ie/business/tec...
The former Meta exec who is now Ireland’s privacy regulator has no gagging order (“non-disparagement clause”) from her former employer. cf Sarah Wynn-Williams Niamh Sweeney says she recuses herself from Meta probes for 2015-2021 issues (her Meta years) www.independent.ie/business/iri...
Aaaand it’s gone. 2,000 EV subsidies, worth €8,500 each, scooped up in under two hours. A few quick movers just got a €5k sweetener.
Adrian Weckler@adrianweckler.bsky.social · last mo.Update — the €8,500 subsidy is almost fully subscribed already, two hours into the scheme. Transport Minister says no extension
300 jobs to go in TikTok in Ireland -- looks like AI again www.independent.ie/business/tik...
TikTok to cut 300 jobs in Dublin as wave of AI-led tech layoffs in Ireland continues
The social media giant says that it also hopes to hire more specialised roles here in future
independent.ie
Update — the €8,500 subsidy is almost fully subscribed already, two hours into the scheme. Transport Minister says no extension
Adrian Weckler@adrianweckler.bsky.social · last mo.No surprise that there's insane interest to cash in on the grant -- you could trade in a 2010 Ford Fiesta and buy a new EV (eg Hyundai Inster) for €12,500. You're not getting any kind of comparable petrol/diesel car for that price.
No surprise that there's insane interest to cash in on the grant -- you could trade in a 2010 Ford Fiesta and buy a new EV (eg Hyundai Inster) for €12,500. You're not getting any kind of comparable petrol/diesel car for that price.
Adrian Weckler@adrianweckler.bsky.social · last mo.Mad scramble for €8,500 EV grant crashes SEAI website. The beefed up grant, available from today, applies when a 13-year-old+ petrol/diesel car is traded in. BUT limited to 2,000 units. And only 1/3 can be from urban buyers. Hence chaotic scramble today www.independent.ie/business/scr...