Elon Musk promised a trillion-dollar robotaxi empire with millions of autonomous Teslas whisking us around by 2026, but reality in Austin—the only city with public rides—is more “safety monitor in the passenger seat” than “driverless utopia.” The New York Times checked in: only about 30 Tesla Robotaxis exist, locals have never seen one, and they’re still breaking traffic laws left and right. Waymo’s got thousands cruising effortlessly while Tesla stubbornly skips lidar, betting everything on cameras (that sometimes get blinded by… sun). Experts are side-eyeing hard, saying Tesla’s “way behind.” It’s classic Musk: big hype, bigger promises, and a timeline that’s more aspirational fan fiction than roadmap. Investors, how’s that trillion feeling now?
It’s Starting to Feel a Lot Like Tesla’s Robotaxi Program Is Mostly Smoke and Mirrors
