- Elon Musk doesn’t think Tesla should be considered just another automaker.
- Musk told investors Tuesday that Tesla’s Optimus robots are his most valuable asset.
- “We should be considered an AI or robotics company,” Musk said.
Tesla’s Optimus robots could become the company’s most valuable asset, says company CEO Elon Musk.
“As I’ve said before, I think Optimus will be more valuable than everything else combined,” Musk said during an earnings conference call Tuesday.
“Because if you have a sentient humanoid robot that can navigate reality and perform tasks on demand, there is no meaningful limit to the size of the economy,” he said. he adds.
During the call, Musk told investors that the Optimus can perform “simple factory tasks in the lab” before offering a rough timeline on when he thinks the robots would be deployed.
“We believe we will have Optimus in limited production in the natural factory itself, performing useful tasks before the end of this year,” Musk said. “And then I think we might be able to sell it outside by the end of next year. These are just guesses.”
Musk’s optimistic remarks about Tesla’s work in robotics come as the electric vehicle giant struggles with declining sales. On Tuesday, the company reported that its quarterly revenue fell 9% from a year earlier. This fall marks Tesla’s biggest revenue drop since 2012.
Earlier this month, the company revealed that it delivered 386,810 cars in the first quarter of 2024, down 20.1% from the previous quarter. The company’s first-quarter performance was also its worst quarterly performance since 2022.
Tesla’s current challenges appear to have propelled Musk into high gear as he tries to sell the viability of the company’s ongoing work.
In addition to introducing a new robotaxi concept for its vehicles, Tesla also reduced the prices of its vehicles in several markets over the weekend.
Prices of Tesla’s Models 3, S,
“We should be considered an AI or robotics company,” Musk told investors Tuesday. “If you look at Tesla as a car company, fundamentally, it’s just not the right framework, and if you ask the wrong question, then the right answer is impossible.”
In the past, Musk has tried to save the company’s fortunes by adjusting prices and touting emerging technologies.
However, Musk has repeatedly set and then missed his own goals for when Tesla will make self-driving cars available to the masses. In 2019, Musk said he was “very confident” that Tesla would have a million autonomous robo-taxis on the roads by 2020.
Tesla representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI sent outside of normal business hours.
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