• Meta is training custom AI chatbots to send unprompted follow-up messages and boost user engagement.
• Contractors at Alignerr help develop bots that remember chats and personalize replies on Meta apps.
• Mark Zuckerberg has said AI companions are a potential fix for the "loneliness epidemic."

It's the AI equivalent of a double text.

Business Insider has learned Meta is training customizable chatbots to be more proactive and message users unprompted to follow up on past conversations.

It may not cure what Mark Zuckerberg calls the "loneliness epidemic," but Meta hopes it will help keep users coming back to its AI Studio platform, documents obtained by BI reveal.

The goal of the training project, known internally to data labeling firm Alignerr as "Project Omni," is to "provide value for users and ultimately help to improve re-engagement and user retention," the guidelines say.

Meta told BI that the proactive feature is intended for bots made on Meta's AI Studio, which can be accessed on its own standalone platform or through Instagram. AI Studio first rolled out in summer 2024 as a no-code platform where anyone can build custom chatbots and digital personas with unique personalities and memories.

The guidelines from Alignerr lay out how one example persona, dubbed "The Maestro of Movie Magic," would send a proactive message:

"I hope you're having a harmonious day! I wanted to check in and see if you've discovered any new favorite soundtracks or composers recently. Or perhaps you'd like some recommendations for your next movie night? Let me know, and I'll be happy to help!"

"Like many companies, we're testing follow-up messaging with AIs in Meta's AI Studio," a Meta spokesperson said in a statement to BI. "After you initiate a conversation, AIs in Meta AI Studio can follow up with you to share ideas or ask additional questions. This allows you to continue exploring topics of interest and engage in more meaningful conversations with the AIs across our apps."

Alignerr did not respond to a request for comment.

How the follow-ups work

Users can create highly personal chatbots, like a chef that suggests recipes or an interior designer that gives decor advice. For creators and influencers, the bots can handle fan interactions and respond to messages across Meta's platforms.

Meta's spokesperson added that the AI will only send a follow-up message after a user initiates a conversation, and it will not continue to contact the user if there's no response to that first follow-up. The window for any follow-up message is capped at 14 days after the initial user message. To be eligible for proactive follow-up, a user must have sent at least five messages to the chatbot in the last 14 days.

The bots made on AI Studio can be kept private for personal use or shared through stories, direct links, and even displayed on a user's Facebook or Instagram profile, the Meta AI Studio website says.

Making the bots more proactive aligns with Zuckerberg's ambitions for AI at Meta. On recent podcasts, the Meta CEO has said the average American now has fewer than three close friends and that digital agents could help fill the gap.

There's also a business reason for friendlier, proactive bots. Retention is key for generative AI companies with user-facing chatbots, and the longer users spend with a chatbot, the more valuable those interactions become, similar to engagement on social media. According to court documents that were unsealed in April, Meta predicted that its generative AI products would rake in $2 billion to $3 billion in revenue in 2025.

Some features described in Alignerr's training guidelines are already being quietly tested, while others appear to be in early rollout or pilot stages. Meta did not specify which features are live to BI.

The proactive features are similar to those of Character.AI, a startup that launched a service in 2022 that lets users create and interact with their favorite AI-powered characters or celebrities.

'It’s all about attention to detail'

Using an internal Meta review tool called SRT, freelancers simulate extended conversations with the bots, rate proactive follow-up messages, and sometimes rewrite text that falls short of Meta’s guidelines, two Alignerr contractors told BI.

A freelancer based in India who worked on Omni told BI it’s “a long-term project” with a focus on making Meta’s AI feel more personal and context-aware. “They’re very focused on personalizing information — how the AI chatbot interacts based on conversation history,” the contractor said.

“Each agent had a specific description, so you had to tailor each task to fit that persona. Again, it’s all about attention to detail,” the freelancer said. Personas could range from a doctor to a Gen Z hip-hop commentator.

Bots are expected to reference details from earlier chats, maintain their assigned persona, and keep the interaction on-topic.

Each message should align with the AI’s personality, match the previous context of the conversation, and "provide positive experiences," while explicitly avoiding anything Meta deems sensitive or harmful content.

The best messages, according to the training document, reference something concrete from the user’s past conversations.

According to the training documents, all proactive messages must comply with Meta’s broader Content and Responsibility Standards, avoiding controversy, misinformation, or emotionally heavy topics — unless the user brings them up first.

Have a tip? Contact Effie Webb via email at [email protected] or Signal at efw.40. Contact Shubhangi Goel via email at [email protected] or Signal at shuby.85. Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is fighting a battle of inches as he tries to secure the last few votes he needs to get President Trump's "big, beautiful bill" across the finish line.

Why it matters: Johnson is racing against the clock to meet Republicans' self-imposed deadline to pass the marquee tax and spending bill, which they hope will get to the president's desk by July 4.

• That deadline is at threat of slipping as right-wing hardliners and moderates dig in against the bill over aspects they find unsavory.
• Republicans on Thursday broke the record for the longest House vote as they held open a procedural vote for an astonishing seven hours and 24 minutes as they tried to cajole GOP holdouts.
• Johnson continued to huddle with holdouts off the House floor past midnight, and Trump has been working the phones in coordination with Johnson, the speaker said on Fox News.

State of play: Shortly after concluding their record-breaking vote, Republicans moved to advance the bill to a final vote on the House floor.

• But that key vote was being stymied by GOP defectors as of early Thursday morning, with nearly half a dozen Republicans voting with Democrats against advancing the bill — enough to kill it.
• Another group of around eight Republicans — mostly right-wing hardliners upset at how much the Senate version of the bill increases the deficit — hadn't voted yet as of Thursday morning.
• A group of key holdouts left the House floor just after 1:00am and headed back to their offices, including Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), who told reporters "don't take a nap" yet. Burchett has still not voted on the rule.

What they're saying: "There's no cracking of skulls ... this is part of the process. We're tying up loose ends," Johnson told Fox News host Sean Hannity in an appearance late Wednesday night.

• The speaker said he "might keep [the vote] open a little while" because "among those 'no' votes I've got a couple of folks that are actually off-site right now, had to attend family affairs or events this evening, and so some of them are on the way back."
• That includes Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), the sole centrist "no" vote on the procedural motion, who rushed out of the House chamber shortly after voting.
• Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) who doesn't typically vote down the rule, switched his vote from yea to nay last minute, and has stayed firm in his opposition.

Between the lines: Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) posted on X that she intends to support final passage of the bill, but voted against the procedural measure because of Johnson's "broken commitments."

• It's not typical for a member of the majority party to vote down the rule, and even more abnormal to vote down the rule but support final passage.
• Some members, like Spartz, are notorious for saying they're a no but voting yes.
• Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) vowed to vote no on Wednesday, but then voted yes on the rule.

Kilmar Ábrego García alleged in an amended complaint Wednesday that he "was subjected to severe mistreatment" while detained in the El Salvador mega-prison CECOT after being mistakenly deported to the country.

The big picture: The U.S. resident who spent nearly three months in CECOT is now detained in Tennessee after being returned to the U.S. and is awaiting trial on human smuggling charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty.

• A federal judge had last week ordered his release from prison, but another judge ruled on Monday that Ábrego García should remain in jail for now over concerns from his legal team that he could be deported if freed while awaiting trial.

Driving the news: Lawyers for Ábrego García alleged in a Wednesday filing that the father, who is originally from El Salvador, "was subjected to severe mistreatment upon arrival at CECOT, including but not limited to severe beatings, severe sleep deprivation, inadequate nutrition, and psychological torture."

Zoom in: Among the allegations outlined in the filing to the District Court of Maryland are that Ábrego García and 20 other Salvadorans were "forced to kneel" in a cell from 9pm to 6am "with guards striking anyone who fell from exhaustion."

• It adds, "During this time, Plaintiff Abrego Garcia was denied bathroom access and soiled himself. The detainees were confined to metal bunks with no mattresses in an overcrowded cell with no windows, bright lights that remained on 24 hours a day, and minimal access to sanitation."
• Ábrego García allegedly suffered a significant deterioration in his physical condition during his first two weeks at CECOT and his weight dropped from about 215 pounds to 184lb, according to the filing.
• The lawyers allege that Ábrego García and four others were transferred in April "to a different module in CECOT, where they were photographed with mattresses and better food — photos that appeared to be staged to document improved conditions."

What they're saying: The Trump administration has accused Ábrego García of being a criminal and a member of the MS-13 gang, which his attorneys have denied.

• Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin doubled down on this assertion in a Wednesday evening statement.
• McLaughlin also called him an "alleged human trafficker, and a domestic abuser" — in reference to allegations made by his wife, who said she sought a "civil protective order" out of caution after "surviving domestic violence" in a previous relationship.
• "The media's sympathetic narrative about this criminal illegal gang member has completely fallen apart, yet they continue to peddle his sob story," McLaughlin said. "We hear far too much about gang members and criminals' false sob stories and not enough about their victims."
• Representatives for the Justice Department and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment on Wednesday evening.

Go deeper: White House: Report Ábrego García will be deported again "fake news"

Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment from DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.

The "big, beautiful bill" is a dense, 940-page bill put together last minute.

The big picture: Experts agree the breakneck speed of deliberation over what's in the bill leaves plenty of minutia and changes to sift through.

• "This is not normal," said Harris Eppsteiner, associate director of economic analysis at the Yale Budget Lab. "This pace of legislating is not what you would expect to see of a careful, well-thought out set of policies that are designed to grow the economy, help people save and help people invest."
• "I never seen something like this, to be honest," said Ignacio González, co-director of the Institute for Macroeconomic and Policy Analysis at American University.

Here's what economic and policy experts said people should watch out for with the "big, beautiful bill" as it heads to the House.

How BBB impacts gambling

Context: The new bill puts the amount gamblers can deduct from their winnings equal to 90% of their losses for a tax year. This rule would be permanent and start in 2026, said Garrett Watson, director of policy analysis at the Tax Foundation.

• This means that a hypothetical gambler who won $100,000 but lost $100,000 would have to pay taxes on $10,000 of income.

What they're saying: "Even if you break even, you'll still have a tax liability under this proposal," Watson said. "There could be scenarios where folks have a tax liability that matches or exceeds the amount that they earn."

• Pro poker player Phil Galfond said on X this amendment "would end professional gambling in the US and hurt casual gamblers."

Charitable giving

What to know: Under current law, taxpayers who itemize their deductions can receive deductions from charitable donations, Watson said. The new bill allows those who take the standard deduction to deduct up to $1,000 (single) or $2,000 (joint).

• Most Americans don't itemize their tax reductions, Watson said, but this gives people the chance to benefit.
• "Many people give at least some things during a year that could qualify," Watson said. "They can take that and then take that deduction from their taxes and it reduces their taxable income, reduces their tax liability at the end of the day. "

Car loan interest and the BBB

The current version includes an auto loan interest deductible, which includes provisions that expire in 2028. Some taxpayers could deduct up to $10,000 of annual interest on new auto loans, according to Watson.

• Loans for used cars would not qualify under the Senate version, Watson said, and the benefit only applies to new autos assembled in the United States.

Reality check: Jonathan Smoke, chief economist at market research firm Cox Automotive, downplayed the benefits of it, saying a new loan would see roughly $500 in savings.

• "The interest payment on an average loan being closer to $3000 in interest in a calendar year and declining over time," he said in an earnings call in June. "So when you factor in what that really means to your taxes of taking the credit, it essentially is not even what a single monthly payment turns out to be."

(Disclosure: Cox Automotive is owned by Cox Enterprises, which also owns Axios.)

Rising electricity bills due to BBB

Context: The bill phases out tax credits for solar and wind projects -- meaning that development will slow and consumers will face higher prices.

• This is happening at a time when electricity demand has risen given its needed for artificial intelligence and data centers.
• "They're going to face higher electricity" rates, said Natasha Sarin, president and co-founder of the Budget Lab at Yale.

Energy economists and others have been predicting prices will rise. Republicans argue that over time, as more generation is added, prices will level out and eventually drop.

Consumer protections targeted in BBB

Funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a small operation that fights big businesses on behalf of American consumers, has been slashed by about half in the new bill.

• The CFPB has already been limping along after layoffs and legal troubles.

The severed funding could lead to hundreds of job cuts and severely disarm a group that has returned billions to American consumers for more than a decade, according to AP.

• "Consumers will be more likely to fall victim to shady financial industry practices, hidden fees, and other scams because of this devastating budget cut," said Chuck Bell, advocacy program director at Consumer Reports, in a statement.

Go deeper: The big, beautiful bill has a big image issue

• Charlize Theron, who adopted her daughters in 2012 and 2015, says she enjoys being a single mother.
• Her self-awareness and her parents' toxic relationship shaped her decision to raise kids on her own.
• "I can only tell you that this is the best way that I know how to be a mother to them," she said.

Charlize Theron, 49, has zero regrets about doing motherhood solo.

During an appearance on Wednesday's episode of "Call Her Daddy," Theron spoke about her life as a single mother of two. She adopted her daughters Jackson and August in 2012 and 2015, respectively.

The "Mad Max: Fury Road" actor told podcast host Alex Cooper that her parents' relationship was a "cautionary tale" that helped her realize she didn't want to be in one. Theron was 15 when she witnessed her mother fatally shoot her alcoholic father in self-defense.

Theron said it was a "layered and complicated" decision driven by two factors: not wanting what her parents had and recognizing that she "did not have the capability of being healthy in a relationship."

"Those two things I had to acknowledge when I decided to be a parent, and I think it's probably one of the healthiest decisions I ever made," she said.

However, she acknowledges that there's still a stigma being placed on women who choose to be single.

"With women, it's always like, something must be wrong with her. She can't keep a man. And it's never part of the discussion of like, 'Wow, she's really living her truth. She's living in her happiness. This is actually a choice that she made,'" Theron said.

"I want to look at them, and just be like, 'Do you know how fucking great it is to live exactly how I want to live?' To experience motherhood exactly how I wanted to experience it," she added.

Theron says some people might question whether her decision was fair to her children, but in the end, only they can speak to their own experience.

"I can only tell you that this is the best way that I know how to be a mother to them," she said.

"I love every single day of it. I love that I don't have to share them with somebody. I love that I don't have to run every fucking thing by a guy," she added.

Theron said she "broke the cycle" by knowing exactly what she didn't want in a relationship and what she had to offer.

"And who I am at the time that I wanted to be a parent was not somebody who should be having kids with another person," Theron said.

Theron isn't the only celebrity who has spoken about being a single parent.

Lucy Liu told The Cut in 2023 that the decision to have a child in her late 40s via surrogacy — as a single woman — was largely unplanned. "I didn't do a lot of research, I just pulled the trigger," Liu said.

In a March interview with Parade, Connie Britton — who adopted her son from Ethiopia as a single woman at 45 — said she always wanted to be a mother.

"I knew that I hadn't achieved the kind of partnership that I was looking for to have a spouse and a child together. And so I thought, 'This is the time, I'm going to start the adoption process,'" Britton said.

A representative for Theron did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular hours.

• The Trump-Jerome Powell feud continues, this time with Trump calling on Powell to resign immediately.
• Trump amplified calls for Congress to investigate Powell on the Fed's headquarters renovation.
• Trump previously said Powell's "termination cannot come fast enough."

President Donald Trump's long-standing feud with Fed Chair Jerome Powell burns on, this time with him calling on Powell to resign immediately.

In a Wednesday night Truth Social post, the president said, "'Too Late' should resign immediately!!!"

"Too Late" is his nickname for the top banker, a criticism of Powell's refusal to lower interest rates.

In his post, Trump included a headline from a Wednesday Bloomberg article about Bill Pulte, the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, calling on Congress to investigate Powell.

In a Wednesday post on X, Pulte said Congress should investigate Powell over the central bank's headquarters renovation plans.

"I am asking Congress to investigate Chairman Jerome Powell, his political bias, and his deceptive Senate testimony, which is enough to be removed 'for cause,'" Pulte wrote in his statement on X.

Trump's animosity with Powell stretches back to his first term in office — he accused the Fed in 2019 of holding the stock market back.

Later that year, he said in an interview on the Fox Business Network that Powell was not doing a good job.

In 2020, Trump said he had the right to remove Powell as Fed chair, to "put him in a regular position and put somebody else in charge."

This April, Trump kicked off his criticism of Powell again, saying on Truth Social that Powell's "termination cannot come fast enough."

Trump has reportedly been weighing replacements for Powell, whose term ends in May 2026. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Trump plans to float a replacement as soon as September or October.

Representatives for Trump and the Federal Reserve did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

President Trump's asylum ban at the U.S.-Mexico border enacted in an emergency immigration proclamation on his first day in office is "unlawful," a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

Why it matters: Although U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss postponed his order from taking effect for 14 days to allow for appeal, the processing of asylum claims at the border would resume immediately if the ruling is not overturned.

• Trump administration officials have already said they'll appeal Moss' ruling that found the president exceeded his authority in a Jan. 20 proclamation that denied asylum protections at the border.
• The case seems likely headed for the Supreme Court, which last week in a majority ruling imposed new limits on lower courts' abilities to freeze federal policies.

Driving the news: The proclamation that's titled "Guaranteeing the States Protection Against Invasion" states the Immigration and Nationality Act "provides the President with certain emergency tools" that have enabled Trump's action.

• Immigration groups including the American Civil Liberties Union and multiple people seeking asylum filed a class action lawsuit in February challenging the legality of the proclamation, calling the "invasion" declaration unlawful and false.
• "[N]othing in the INA or the Constitution grants the President or his delegees the sweeping authority asserted in the Proclamation and implementing guidance," Moss wrote. "An appeal to necessity cannot fill that void."
• The Constitution doesn't give a president authority to "adopt an alternative immigration system, which supplants the statutes that Congress has enacted and the regulations that the responsible agencies have promulgated," according to the Obama-appointed D.C. judge.

Between the lines: The attempted asylum changes are among many immigration enforcement reforms the Trump administration is trying to make via executive order or rule changes without going to Congress.

• The Trump administration issued a new rule in January that dramatically expands expedited removal to immigrants who cannot prove they have been continuously living in the U.S. for over two years.
• That rule is facing a legal challenge from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
• The Trump administration also is trying to make immigrants previously granted humanitarian parole eligible for expedited removal, and that's also facing a legal challenge.

What they're saying: ACLU of Texas legal director Adriana Piñon said in a statement Moss' rejection of the Trump administration's "efforts to upend our asylum system" was "a key ruling" for the U.S.

• "This attempt to completely shut down the border is an attack on the fundamental and longstanding right to seek safety in the U.S. from violence and persecution."
• Keren Zwick, director of litigation at the National Immigrant Justice Center, which also brought the suit, said in a statement that no president "has the authority to unilaterally block people who come to our border seeking safety."

The other side: "A local district court judge has no authority to stop President Trump and the United States from securing our border from the flood of aliens trying to enter illegally," said Abigail Jackson, a spokesperson for the White House.

• "This is an attack on our Constitution, the laws Congress enacted, and our national sovereignty," she said of the ruling. "We expect to be vindicated on appeal."
• White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller on X claimed the order was trying to "circumvent" last week's Supreme Court ruling and that it declared undocumented immigrants as "a protected global 'class' entitled to admission into the United States."

Go deeper: Immigration crackdown ripples through economy

• BYD is halting Mexico factory plans over US trade policy concerns.
• US tariffs on Mexico-made cars are affecting automakers including Nissan and Stellantis.
• BYD is opening a factory in Brazil, its first outside Asia.

The world's largest electric vehicle maker is halting plans to build a major factory in Mexico due to concerns about US trade policies.

On Wednesday, BYD said that the company still plans to expand further into North or South America, but it does not have a timeline for the plan.

"Geopolitical issues have a big impact on the automotive industry," Stella Li, an executive vice president, said in an interview with Bloomberg. "Now everybody is rethinking their strategy in other countries. We want to wait for more clarity before making our decision."

In September, Bloomberg reported that the EV giant would not announce a major plant investment in Mexico until after the US election. In March, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said BYD had not made a formal offer to invest in the country.

President Donald Trump's tariffs have been a big pain point for US and global automakers. Cars coming from Mexico to the US remain subject to a 25% tariff.

Car manufacturers have responded in various ways, from offering discounts to shoppers who hope to avoid future price hikes to adding import fees on vehicles built outside the US. Some producers, like Stellantis and Nissan, have cut back on Mexico-based production.

In the region, BYD is opening a plant in the Brazilian state of Bahia, the company's first factory outside Asia.

In December, Brazilian authorities halted the construction of BYD factory and sued the company, saying that construction workers lived in slavery-like conditions. Over 160 workers had been rescued from the working conditions, according to a statement from a Brazilian labour authority.

The statement said that workers were put in "degrading" conditions and had their passports and salaries withheld by a service provider for BYD.

At the time, BYD said affected workers had been moved to hotels. It added that it had conducted a "detailed review" of the working and living conditions for subcontracted employees and asked on "several occasions" for the construction firm to make improvements.

On Wednesday, Li said the episode prompted the company to reassess its approach to international expansion.

"We should slow down, step back from the focus on speed. We need to work more with local companies," she said. "It will take longer, but that's OK."

Chinese players, including BYD, Xiaomi, Nio, and Xpeng, have been undercutting Tesla's prices and gaining market share in China and Europe. BYD is on track to sell more than 5 million cars this year, and the company sold more EVs than Tesla in Europe for the first time in April.

BYD stock is up 38% so far this year because of strong battery technology, its affordability, and global expansion.

House Republicans broke the record Wednesday for the lower chamber's longest vote in history after more than seven hours of grueling negotiations over President Trump's "big, beautiful bill."

Why it matters: The extended vote time reflects the severe reluctance among some on the House GOP's right flank to support the marquee tax and spending package.

• The previous record was in 2021, when the House took seven hours and six minutes on a procedural vote related to then-President Biden's Build Back Better legislation.
• House Republicans overtook that record at 9:15pm ET on Wednesday, then went another 15 minutes before finally closing the vote.
• Assistant House Minority Leader Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) needled Republicans on the vote time by suggesting they were violating House rules by holding the vote open for so long.

State of play: The lengthy vote came about as a result of negotiations between House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and members of the right-wing Freedom Caucus.

• The hardliners are upset that the Senate bill adds more to the deficit than the House-passed version while also excluding several key provisions they secured to cut green energy tax credits and Medicaid.
• Some moderates have also had concerns about the bill, saying it cuts too much into Medicaid and other key programs.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said during a public meeting on Wednesday that she is trusting advisers to provide counsel on how to fire people who "don't like us."

Why it matters: Noem's comment sends a chilling message to the DHS, which has gone through a mass exodus and public backlash over its immigration policies.

Zoom in: During the first Homeland Security Advisory Council meeting held at the DHS headquarter, Noem gave opening remarks by saying there is a lot of people in the department "that don't support what we are doing."

• "What we have to be aware of is that we're working with the department that for the last four years hasn't been required to do much," Noem said.
• She then blamed former Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for telling DHS workers "not to do a lot."

Zoom out: The Trump administration has been increasingly vocal about drastically restructuring the DHS.

• Noem has privately supported the idea of shrinking FEMA's role in disaster planning, per CNN. She later walked back the claim.
• Officials staffing the U.S. legal immigration system have been asked to volunteer to help deportation operations spearheaded by ICE, according to CBS.

Context: The advisory council consists of 22 members appointed by President Trump and Secretary Noem. The council provides the secretary of Homeland Security with real-time, real-world and independent advice on homeland security operations.

• Notable members include former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, billionaire Marc Andreessen, and Fox News host Mark Levin.

• Rivian Automotive reported its 2025 second-quarter production and delivery results.
• Rivian produced 5,979 vehicles and delivered 10,661 vehicles this quarter, a year-over-year decline from Q2 2024.
• Tesla's deliveries also dropped in Q2, just missing analysts' expectations.

It's not just Tesla.

Rivian Automotive's Q2 deliveries were also down. The company shared its production and delivery results on Wednesday. It delivered 10,661 vehicles in the quarter ending on June 30. That's a noticeable drop compared to the same time last year, when Rivian delivered 13,790 vehicles. Reuters reported a 22% decline.

Its stock dipped on Wednesday and closed down 4.45%.

The company shared that it produced 5,979 vehicles at its Illinois-based manufacturing facility during the last quarter. The company produced 9,612 vehicles during the same time in 2024.

"Production was limited during the second quarter in preparation for model year 2026 vehicles expected to launch later this month," the company said on Wednesday. "Production and delivery results for the quarter are in line with Rivian's outlook."

Rivian said it received a $1 billion equity investment from Volkswagen Group as part of a joint venture between the two companies.

Tesla, led by Elon Musk, also shared delivery numbers on Wednesday.

The company delivered 384,000 electric vehicles during its second quarter, which missed Wall Street analysts' expectations. It marks the largest quarterly decline in pure numbers in Tesla's history.

The electric vehicle industry faces headwinds as it navigates consumers' uncertainty and the fallout from President Donald Trump's tariffs.

Tariffs and consumer concerns aren't the only obstacles that could trip up the electric vehicle industry.

Trump's domestic tax and spending bill would also affect the clean energy sector. The bill, if passed and signed into law, could end the $7,500 EV tax credit on new leases and electric vehicle sales by the end of September, according to Reuters. Although Rivian didn't qualify for the tax credit, the company relied on a leasing loophole to utilize it. The potential loss of the tax credit could impact companies like Tesla, though.

Representatives for Rivian did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.