Pablo Scarpellini Los Angeles
Updated
The future is not in cars; it is in robots. Tired of criticism amidst a clear slowdown in the sale of Tesla electric vehicles, Elon Musk has sought to reshape the narrative. He argues that it is irrelevant whether Tesla’s electric cars perform better or worse in the short, medium, or long term. According to recent forecasts , the Optimus robots designed for domestic tasks could represent a staggering 80% of the company’s revenue , potentially sending the stock market soaring.
This bold vision may seem like demagogy aimed at appeasing an increasingly hesitant investor base. Musk predicts that Tesla could reach a valuation of $25 billion , effectively making it the most valuable company globally, a position unmatched by any competitor. This valuation would represent more than half of the current value of the S&P 500 index , which encompasses the 500 largest publicly traded companies in the U.S.
All this hinges on Musk’s audacious dream of humanoid robots capable of revolutionizing home life across the globe. Announced in the summer of 2021 , the Optimus project has navigated various developmental phases. The upcoming Optimus Gen 2 , which is set to be unveiled in December 2023 , is expected to learn a multitude of tasks by watching online videos, understanding natural language commands, and executing coordinated movements.
So confident is Musk in his vision that it was recently announced that he allocated approximately $1 billion for Tesla’s share buyback, ostensibly to boost shareholder confidence amid fluctuating stock prices. However, Wall Street is not as optimistic; Tesla’s shares have plummeted by 10% in 2025 alone, revealing an unstable performance.
The Optimus robot , standing at 173 centimeters and weighing 57 kilograms, can perform industrial tasks. However, its most appealing functions are tailored around household chores, such as cleaning, cooking, and caring for the elderly. This innovation would indeed be groundbreaking, if not for stiff competition from established firms like Boston Dynamics, Apptronix, Agility Robotics , and China’s UNITREE , which recently garnered accolades at the World Games of Humanoid Robots in Beijing. The rivalry in the robotics sector is as intense as that in the automotive industry.
In March , Musk announced that Tesla aims to produce 5,000 Optimus robots by the end of this year. During the first quarter shareholder presentation, he expressed a goal to manufacture Optimus robots in Fremont by 2025, followed by broader deployment in manufacturing settings. However, this ambitious plan must bridge the gap to the one million-unit sales target set by the board as a cornerstone for substantial bonuses.
The optimism surrounding Tesla’s leap into robotics often feels like a ploy from a man whose reputation has faltered recently. Musk’s controversial support for Donald Trump and drastic cuts in the Government Efficiency Department have negatively impacted his public image. Tesla has been grappling with a consistent decline in sales, primarily due to fierce competition from Chinese manufacturers like BYD, Nio , and Xpeng .
Sales data highlights a 4% decline in vehicle production at Tesla’s Shanghai factory in August, a figure significantly better than the 40.2% decline in Europe for the same period. Unfortunately, the release of a new version of its Model S hasn’t reignited sales as expected, and the company reports decreased deliveries in China over the first seven months of the year compared to last year.
Whether robots will be Tesla’s salvation remains uncertain. For now, they stand as an ambitious vision, far from the present reality.
General News – 2