I get that the focus has shifted to the robotaxi, and that the service is now running in some capacity in Austin. And the analysts and forecasters all run the numbers on a nationwide rollout, but what I don't see:
Will people actually get into a Robotaxi? Between a mix of distrust of the software and the general anti-musk sentiment, will they actually get the riders needed to fill their $1T valuation shoes?
mingus88 · 40m ago
Given how badly the cybertruck undersold, it does seem plausible that they don’t understand the demand for robotaxi either
Personally, I will never trust Tesla purely due to how many YEARS they failed to deliver on their FSD promises. They are not competitive at their core competency of electric cars so why would we expect them to pioneer a new market?
RankingMember · 31m ago
Similarly, their new robot butler ("Optimus")- who is this even for and why would we expect Tesla to deliver on it?
fogzen · 39m ago
Sure, they’ll get into Ubers, Waymo’s, and Robotaxis. But almost every American will still drive themselves in their own car. The world of personal transportation looks exactly the same as it did 30 years ago. Don’t forget self driving taxis was Uber’s pitch for a long time before reality forced them tell a different story.
Even if self-driving works well, Americans will drive their own car. Where does Tesla fit in once EV tech is a commodity and the brand is no longer fashionable?
Can someone who knows more about Tesla tell me what the chance is that we see Musk pushed out? I think given his recent scattered priorities, foray into American politics, reported drug use, etc., he's probably lost a lot of the doubt that investors were willing to give him the benefit of.
Imagining that I'm a major holder of TSLA, I'm starting to wonder when the clown show is going to be over and I can get back to making money.
mingus88 · 25m ago
There are actually two Musks on the board. Kimbal Musk is Elon’s brother. Could both of them get pushed out?
I doubt it. The stock is a meme and it’s entirely propped up by Elons smoke and mirrors.
xnx · 21m ago
TSLA's hyper-irrational stock price is directly tied to the Musk cult. Without him the stock would be 1/10th as valuable.
sfmz · 38m ago
I think you've already captured all the upside, unless this "tesla is an AI-company" thing pans out.
sidibe · 40m ago
If you're a serious holder of Tesla and doubted Elon you would probably just sell rather than try to change it because the premium of the stock is all Elon and his ability to convince people of his abilities, nothing about the rest of the company warrants a tenth of its valuation.
The ones that are bullish and holding Tesla are bullish on Elon. Maybe some institutions that have to hold it as part of their funds would step up, but they went along with the fans last compensation vote when Elon threatened to walk away. I guess they don't want the price going down suddenly either
spacemadness · 17m ago
I’m other words, it’s a cult stock.
Insanity · 59m ago
Can't say this is too surprising, given Musks' behaviour over the past months.
The association with Tesla as a product is less desirable as a result. And I guess in the US, his initial alignment with Trump didn't sit well with Democrat-leaning customers, and now he flipped against Trump, which won't sit well with Republican-leaning customers.
ablanton · 37m ago
It’s like a master class in how to burn down a company. He alienated his core customer base.
JKCalhoun · 56m ago
> Tesla has increasingly been left behind, with a small and aging model lineup
Uhh, the Cyber Truck?
/jk
CivBase · 48m ago
I wonder how much of this is reaction to Elon and how much is a reaction to the cyber truck.
For me personally, any consoderation I had for purchasing a Tesla has died thanks to the cyber truck. Its well-documented littany of defects and design flaws has killed my faith in Tesla to successfully iterate and improve on their existing fleet. It just feels a lot safer now to stick with incumbent auto manufacturers - even for EVs.
Will people actually get into a Robotaxi? Between a mix of distrust of the software and the general anti-musk sentiment, will they actually get the riders needed to fill their $1T valuation shoes?
Personally, I will never trust Tesla purely due to how many YEARS they failed to deliver on their FSD promises. They are not competitive at their core competency of electric cars so why would we expect them to pioneer a new market?
Even if self-driving works well, Americans will drive their own car. Where does Tesla fit in once EV tech is a commodity and the brand is no longer fashionable?
Imagining that I'm a major holder of TSLA, I'm starting to wonder when the clown show is going to be over and I can get back to making money.
I doubt it. The stock is a meme and it’s entirely propped up by Elons smoke and mirrors.
The ones that are bullish and holding Tesla are bullish on Elon. Maybe some institutions that have to hold it as part of their funds would step up, but they went along with the fans last compensation vote when Elon threatened to walk away. I guess they don't want the price going down suddenly either
The association with Tesla as a product is less desirable as a result. And I guess in the US, his initial alignment with Trump didn't sit well with Democrat-leaning customers, and now he flipped against Trump, which won't sit well with Republican-leaning customers.
Uhh, the Cyber Truck?
/jk
For me personally, any consoderation I had for purchasing a Tesla has died thanks to the cyber truck. Its well-documented littany of defects and design flaws has killed my faith in Tesla to successfully iterate and improve on their existing fleet. It just feels a lot safer now to stick with incumbent auto manufacturers - even for EVs.