Tesla Proposes a Trillion-Dollar Bet That It's More Than Just Cars

"Tesla launched a limited robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, earlier this summer, but it's unclear whether the vehicles driving around the city are technologically advanced enough to count towards that 1 million robotaxi goal. (The proposal specifies that the robotaxis must not have a "human driver," and the vehicles in Texas have safety monitors sitting in their front passenger seats for city rides, and in the driver's seats for highway trips.)"

"Meanwhile, the company is reportedly falling well short of its current goal to produce 5,000 units of Optimus, its humanoid robot, by the end of this year, having only produced a few hundred. Musk has said that Optimus could one day revolutionize the global economy by replacing the majority of human labor, but The Information reported in July that the Optimus team was having particular trouble with the robot's hands. The company's vice president of Optimus robotics, a nine-year Tesla veteran, left in June."

"Musk's past pay packages have been unconventional, and controversial. Unlike other CEOs, Musk does not receive annual compensation or incentives, but is instead paid according to Tesla's long-term performance. His 2018 pay package, worth more than $50 billion, is still in legal limbo after a shareholder lawsuit accusing the Tesla board of insufficient transparency and independence led to a Delaware judge striking it down last year. (Tesla responded by reincorporating in Texas.)"

Tesla launched a limited robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, but vehicles carry safety monitors in passenger seats for city rides and in driver seats on highways, making them ineligible for a one-million robotaxi target that requires no human driver. The company is falling short of a goal to produce 5,000 Optimus humanoid robots this year, having built only a few hundred, with reported problems on the robot's hands and the Optimus VP leaving in June. Musk's compensation depends on Tesla leading in autonomous vehicles and humanoid robots globally; the board granted an interim $29 billion award to retain him.

Read at WIRED