One late September afternoon, a couple of men in a bucket truck arrived at the blocky white former Austin American-Statesman building, just off the South Congress bridge over Lady Bird Lake, and got to work installing a new sign. Piled at the base of the wall were the giant Gothic letters of the old newspaper logo, faded but still iconic. Up went a new name in its place—“Base,” in a sleek black font, presented with that familiar tech-world assurance that today’s inscrutable label will soon be obvious to all.Inside, near where the printing presses once roared, long rows of boxed-up lithium-ion batteries stood like troops in formation, waiting to be deployed. By early 2026 the space will hum with manufacturing lines turning out a new…