Chinese startup DeepSeek claims to offer competitive AI models at lower costs, raising doubts about U.S. tech giants' investments in AI. Microsoft and Meta defend their significant spending, highlighting its importance for long-term strategic advantage amidst increasing demand for AI solutions.

Elon Musk said Tesla will begin launching unsupervised self-driving models in Austin, Texas by June and several other U.S. cities by the end of 2025.

While the initial testing will use Tesla's own fleet of cars, regular customers may be able to add their cars to the ride-hailing fleet next year, Musk says.

Dow Jones futures were little changed Wednesday night, along with S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq futures. Tesla, Meta Platforms, Microsoft headlined a huge slate of earnings, with ServiceNow also key. Tesla stock rose solidly late despite missing views as Elon Musk sees true self-driving starting in June with and "epic" 2026 ahead.