According to Tech Digest, as of January 1st, UK cryptocurrency exchanges must automatically share user account details with HMRC to help recover tens of millions in unpaid taxes, including capital gains. Separately, Tesla has published analyst forecasts suggesting 2025 deliveries will hit 1.64 million, a decline from 2024, with Q4 2025 numbers projected to be 423,000—16% lower than the previous year. The International Space Station is confirmed for a deorbit into the Pacific after 2030, as the world’s first commercial station prepares to launch this year. Uber is rewriting driver contracts outside London to limit its VAT liability ahead of Rachel Reeves’s new “taxi tax” rules starting January 2nd. Finally, Chrome for Android is rolling out a redesigned Reading mode, and PlayStation Plus January 2026 games include Need for Speed Unbound and Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed.
Crypto Gets a Tax Man
So, the UK’s crypto “wild west” era is officially on life support. HMRC forcing exchanges to hand over user data isn’t a surprise, but the automatic collection is a big step. It basically turns these platforms into traditional financial institutions overnight. The goal is tens of millions in unpaid tax, and honestly, they’ll probably get it. But here’s the thing: this move, coupled with the FCA’s push to stop insider trading, shows the UK is going for a squeeze play. Regulate the on-ramps and scare off casual traders who don’t want the paperwork. It might clean up the market, or it might just push activity to harder-to-track decentralized platforms. We’ll see which one wins out.
Tesla’s Sobering Math
Tesla publishing those lower consensus figures is… unusual, to say the least. A 16% projected drop quarter-over-quarter? That’s not a bump in the road; that’s a pothole. By putting this on their own investor site, it feels like they’re trying to get ahead of a brutal earnings call. They’re managing expectations downward, hard. Elon Musk’s past targets have been famously optimistic, but this feels like the company machinery quietly admitting reality. Competition is ferocious, and the EV adoption curve isn’t a straight line up. I think this is Tesla transitioning from a growth-at-all-costs story to something more mature—and that’s a tricky story for the stock. You can read more on The Guardian’s Tesla coverage for deeper context.
Uber Finds a New Loophole
And Uber does it again. Just as Chancellor Rachel Reeves closes one VAT loophole with her new rules, Uber’s lawyers have apparently found the next seam in the legislation. Rewriting driver contracts to shift liability is a classic move. It protects Uber’s bottom line but kicks the can down the road to drivers and, potentially, passengers. The Telegraph reports this applies outside London, which makes you wonder how long until the next regulatory patch. This eternal cat-and-mouse game is expensive for everyone. It also highlights how digital platform economies constantly stress-test old tax frameworks. The Treasury will be back with another update, guaranteed.
Misc Tech Bytes
The ISS news is bittersweet. It’s an incredible achievement, but everything gets old. The planned deorbit into the Pacific is the responsible, if dramatic, end. The real story is the commercial replacement launching this year. That’s the future: space as a service, for companies and nations. It’s cheaper, but it also fragments what was a singular global project. Is that good? Time will tell. On the consumer side, Google finally making Chrome’s Reading mode reliably accessible is a small but welcome win. And PlayStation Plus’s January lineup? Solid, if unspectacular. A decent racing game, a nostalgia play, and a sleeper indie hit. Not bad for starting the year.
