Tesla’s stock experienced an increase on Monday as Elon Musk highlighted the potential value of the company’s humanoid robots.
In a post on X, Musk stated, “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.”
During Tesla’s annual meeting in April, Musk indicated that the Optimus robots would enter limited production by 2025, predicting that over 1,000 units would be operational at Tesla by the year’s end. Currently, the company has two robots on the factory floor, though their specific tasks have not been disclosed.
Musk previously suggested that the introduction of these robots could potentially add $20 trillion to Tesla’s market capitalization. The robots are anticipated to become available for purchase by the end of 2025, with an expected retail price ranging between $20,000 and $30,000.
There remains uncertainty about what Musk means by “genuinely useful.” Previous demonstrations of the robot’s capabilities have faced skepticism; for instance, a video released in May portrayed an Optimus robot folding a shirt while it was later revealed that a person off-screen was controlling it.
This is not the first instance of Tesla using dramatic displays to showcase their robots. The Optimus project was launched in 2021 with a presentation that featured a person in a robot costume dancing.
MKM analyst Craig Irwin commented, “A sentient humanoid robot by 2025? I mean come on, they tried to launch this product with a dancer inside of a robot suit. 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.”
In addition to Hyundai’s Boston Dynamics, Tesla will face competition from Honda, Apptronik, and Chinese automakers like Dongfeng Motor and Nio, which are testing humanoid robots from UBTech Robotics in their production lines. BMW has also been using humanoid robots from Silicon Valley-based Figure since January.
Following Musk’s comments, Tesla’s stock rose more than 3% on Monday. Shares remain relatively stable year-to-date after experiencing a significant rebound over the past couple of months. Tesla will report its second-quarter earnings on Tuesday, where Musk is anticipated to provide an update regarding the delayed unveiling of the company’s robotaxi.