Tesla’s stock is on the rise Monday as Elon Musk continues to emphasize the future value of the company’s humanoid robots.
“Tesla will have genuinely useful humanoid robots in low production for Tesla internal use next year and, hopefully, high production for other companies in 2026,” Musk stated on X on Monday.
In April, during Tesla’s annual meeting with shareholders, Musk announced that Optimus, Tesla’s humanoid robot, would enter limited production in 2025. He projected that over 1,000 robots would be operational at Tesla by year-end. Currently, two robots are already on the factory floor, though their exact roles have not been disclosed by Tesla.
Musk has previously suggested that the new robots could potentially increase the company’s market capitalization by $20 trillion. The robots are anticipated to be available for purchase by the end of 2025, with an estimated price range of $20,000 to $30,000.
The specific capabilities Musk implies with the term “genuinely useful” remain unclear. Previous public demonstrations have not been particularly convincing. For instance, in May, Tesla faced accusations of staging a video that showed an Optimus robot folding a shirt, which was allegedly controlled by a person off-screen.
Historically, Tesla has been criticized for using theatrical tactics to showcase its robots. The Optimus project was originally unveiled in 2021 with a person dancing inside a robot costume.
“A sentient humanoid robot by 2025? I mean, come on, they tried to launch this product with a dancer inside a robot suit,” Roth MKM analyst Craig Irwin commented on Yahoo Finance Monday. “It’s going to be hard for them to catch up to Boston Dynamics. What they’ve shown us is really state of the art for 2014.”
Tesla faces competition from companies like Hyundai Motor’s Boston Dynamics, Japan’s Honda, and Apptronik. Additionally, Chinese automakers Dongfeng Motor and Nio are experimenting with humanoid robots from UBTech Robotics on their production lines, while BMW has been using Silicon Valley-based Figure’s humanoid robots in its facilities since late January.
Following Musk’s comments, Tesla’s stock increased by more than 3% on Monday. The shares have remained relatively stable year-to-date after a significant resurgence over the past two months.
Tesla is scheduled to report its second-quarter earnings on Tuesday, where Musk is expected to provide an update on the company’s delayed robotaxi unveiling.