Elon Musk says Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot and Cybercab autonomous vehicle will account for most of the company’s future value, placing artificial intelligence and driverless transport at the heart of its long-term strategy.
The Tesla chief executive made the comments in an 18 October post on X, arguing that the company’s valuation would ultimately depend more on robotics and autonomous vehicles than on conventional car sales.
Optimus is being developed to carry out physical tasks as a humanoid robot, while Cybercab is a purpose-built driverless vehicle. Both projects are intended to take Tesla beyond its traditional model of selling cars to individual customers.
Musk has previously described plans for large-scale production of Optimus, which he believes could improve productivity across a range of industries. The robot’s commercial prospects will depend on its ability to perform reliably, the cost of manufacturing it and whether businesses widely adopt the technology.
Cybercab is already carrying passengers in limited areas of Austin, Texas, as the latest addition to Tesla’s Robotaxi fleet. The service allows customers to book autonomous journeys and could provide recurring income from passenger trips, although its financial performance will depend on demand, operating costs and regulatory approval.
AI, robotics and space transport
Tesla and SpaceX have committed $16.8 billion to start building Terafab, an artificial intelligence chip factory in Grimes County, Texas. The project could provide computing capacity for both Optimus and Tesla’s autonomous vehicles.
Musk also named four technologies he believes could reach an extraordinary economic scale: superintelligence, robotics, solar power and space transportation.
Superintelligence describes artificial intelligence that exceeds human intelligence. Musk used K2 to refer to a Type II civilisation on the Kardashev scale, a theoretical system for classifying civilisations by their energy consumption. A Type II civilisation would be capable of harnessing energy on the scale of an entire star.
He suggested that progress in superintelligence and robotics could help drive further advances in solar power and space transportation.
The remarks followed earlier predictions from Musk that artificial intelligence and robots could double global economic output within a decade. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in January, he discussed the potential impact of AI, robotics and space transportation on the world economy.
Musk was responding to a Teslaconomics post that encouraged investors to look beyond Roadster sales and profit margins when assessing Tesla and SpaceX’s wider potential.
Tesla unveiled a redesigned Roadster on 15 October, featuring propulsion technology derived from SpaceX. Production is targeted for 2028, after delays since the vehicle was first introduced in 2017.
Tesla is due to publish its third-quarter financial results on 21 October. The figures will offer an update on its automotive operations as well as its robotics and autonomous transport businesses.
Musk has also argued that SpaceX could eventually be worth far more than the global economy is today, extending his vision of industries beyond Tesla’s current businesses.
