Tesla’s stock experienced an increase on Monday as CEO Elon Musk continues to highlight the potential of the company’s humanoid robots.
On social media platform X, Musk stated, “Tesla will have genuinely useful humanoid robots in low production for internal use next year and, hopefully, high production for other companies in 2026.”
During Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting in April, Musk had mentioned that the Optimus humanoid robot would enter limited production in 2025, with a projection of more than 1,000 robots operational at Tesla by the end of that year. Currently, two robots are reportedly on the factory floor, although the specific tasks they perform have not been disclosed.
In his April remarks, Musk pointed out a potential scenario where the robots could contribute an additional $20 trillion to Tesla’s market capitalization. However, the robots are not anticipated to hit the retail market until late 2025, with prices expected to range between $20,000 and $30,000.
There is ambiguity surrounding Musk’s definition of “genuinely useful.” Previous demonstrations have raised skepticism; for instance, a video released in May showcased an Optimus robot folding a shirt, but it was later revealed that the robot was controlled by an off-screen individual.
Musk and Tesla have been criticized in the past for their promotional tactics. Notably, the company’s introduction of the Optimus project featured a dancer in a robot costume, leading to doubts about the authenticity of the demonstrations.
Analyst Craig Irwin from MKM voiced skepticism on Yahoo Finance, questioning the feasibility of delivering a fully sentient humanoid robot by 2025. He compared Tesla’s efforts unfavorably to those of Boston Dynamics, saying, “What they’ve shown us is really state of the art for 2014.”
In addition to rivalries with Hyundai’s Boston Dynamics, Tesla faces competition from Honda and Apptronik in Japan. Chinese automakers Dongfeng Motor and Nio are experimenting with humanoid robots from UBTech Robotics on production lines, while BMW has been incorporating humanoid robots from Silicon Valley-based Figure into its operations since late January.
Following Musk’s comments, Tesla’s stock increased by over 3% on Monday. Despite this rise, shares have remained relatively unchanged year-to-date after a significant recovery in the previous two months. Tesla is set to report its second-quarter earnings on Tuesday, during which Musk is anticipated to provide insights on the postponed robotaxi launch.