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Startups Weekly: Mercury more than doubled its valuation, and other news https://tcrn.ch/3RnzxfU

Breast pump startup Willow acquires assets of Elvie as UK women’s health pioneer moves into administration https://tcrn.ch/3FNQQEA

Trevor Milton, the founder of bankrupt hydrogen trucking startup Nikola who was convicted of fraud, has been pardoned by President Trump, the White House confirmed to TechCrunch.

Milton was convicted in October 2022 of one count of securities fraud and two counts of wire fraud related to claims he made about Nikola’s progress to investors. He was sentenced to four years in prison in December 2023. The pardon comes just a few weeks after Nikola filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Read more from Sean O'Kane on Milton's pardon here: https://tcrn.ch/424O5Ge

TechCrunch Mobility: Inside the Rivian skunkworks program, and Trump’s gift to Tesla https://tcrn.ch/4l9rTn6

Nintendo used its new app to announce the ‘Legend of Zelda’ movie release date https://tcrn.ch/4hKNrmZ

One of the most notable changes OpenAI made this week involves its content moderation policies, which now allow ChatGPT to, upon request, generate images depicting public figures, hateful symbols, and racial features.

OpenAI previously rejected these types of prompts for being too controversial or harmful. But now, the company has “evolved” its approach, according to a blog post published Thursday by OpenAI’s model behavior lead, Joanne Jang.

Read more from Maxwell Zeff here: https://tcrn.ch/3Rrw93y

Fintech VC powerhouse Frank Rotman stepping down from QED Investors to found his own startups https://tcrn.ch/3DNsn1w

President Trump is slapping 25% tariffs on all cars imported to the United States, including from our immediate North American neighbors. He’s also placed a 25% tariff on certain parts used to build cars.

It’s a decision that will likely supercharge the cost of new and used cars, but it’s also a gift to Tesla, the company run by Elon Musk, his biggest financial supporter in the presidential election.

Read more from Sean O'Kane on Trump’s auto tariffs here: https://tcrn.ch/3FVXMzc

Javice found guilty of defrauding JPMorgan in $175M startup purchase https://tcrn.ch/3XAaKc5

‘Tesla Takedown’ organizers have promised their biggest day of global action this weekend, encouraging thousands to protest outside Tesla showrooms, dealerships, and even charging stations to peacefully object to Elon Musk’s role in slashing government spending.

If the government or law enforcement starts treating all anti-Tesla actions as criminal, peaceful protesters could find themselves facing consequences meant for extremists.

Read more from Rebecca Bellan on ‘Tesla Takedown’ protests here: https://tcrn.ch/3DLKIvX