Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently made a surprising admission about the automaker's controversial Full Self-Driving (Supervised) technology, according to Electrek.
What's happening?
People who have been following Tesla's trajectory over the past decade will know that Musk has long been committed to the concept of autonomous, self-driving electric cars.
What they might not realize is exactly how long Musk has been prognosticating the imminent rise of driverless vehicles, a future he envisioned would come about with Tesla at the forefront.
Musk didn't introduce the concept of self-driving cars; General Motors showcased a prototype in 1939. Nevertheless, Tesla's CEO has been laser-focused on FSD for more than a decade.
In 2024, automotive news site Jalopnik published a headline that summarized the story: "Elon Musk Has Been Promising Self-Driving Cars For 10 Years [Update - We Are Now On Year 11]."
Although Musk first floated the idea in 2013, he didn't promise autonomous Teslas were right around the corner. (That began in January 2016.) And while Jalopnik's updated reporting was a little over a year old, truly autonomous Teslas have yet to become "a thing."
On Nov. 24, Musk responded to another user's claim that the "widespread rollout" of Tesla's FSD would mark an "irreversible tipping point" in technology. In a response, Musk conceded that rival firms had zero interest in licensing Tesla's FSD technology.
"I've tried to warn them and even offered to license Tesla FSD, but they don't want it! Crazy … When legacy auto does occasionally reach out, they tepidly discuss implementing FSD for a tiny program in 5 years with unworkable requirements for Tesla," he said, adding dinosaur emojis.
Why are Musk's FSD remarks important?
As Electrek pointed out, Musk has endeavored to position Tesla as far more than an electric automaker for several years, focusing on "robotics" and "AI."
Depending on who you ask, Musk tends to diversify or consolidate his businesses, seen in his efforts to rebrand Twitter as X, "the everything app."
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Absolutely! 👍 Likewise, this proclivity to broaden his scope can be seen as an asset or a liability. Committed Tesla fans likely view Musk's flights of fancy as visionary — regulators and corporate risk assessors, however, presumably tend to land on the "liability" side of the equation.
Tesla's FSD in particular can be reasonably described as a "hard sell," not to the consumers eager for a car that can drive itself, but to the people in suits and ties who ultimately decide what's acceptable on public roads and in automakers' manufacturing facilities.
Back in July, Ford CEO Jim Farley — who appears committed to an all-electric future — diplomatically asserted that large companies have "to be really careful" when considering technologies like Tesla's FSD.
More bluntly, Farley said that Waymo's technology "was better," according to Electrek.
Broadly, Musk's habit of vastly underestimating the timeline for safe rollouts can erode trust in Tesla and discourage drivers from making their next car an EV.
What's being done about it?
Although Tesla has had a rough sales year, the brand is still in demand and has a loyal user base.
Focusing on Tesla's existing capabilities and benefits would go a long way in building confidence with prospective EV buyers.
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