Tesla’s stock experienced an uptick on Monday as Elon Musk continues to highlight the potential 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’s internal use next year and, hopefully, high production for other companies in 2026.”
During Tesla’s annual meeting in April, Musk had previously mentioned that the Optimus robot would enter limited production in 2025, with expectations of over 1,000 robots employed at Tesla by year-end. At present, two robots are operational on the factory floor, but their specific roles have not been disclosed.
Musk has hypothesized that the product could contribute an additional $20 trillion to Tesla’s market cap, although the robots are expected to hit the market by the end of 2025, retailing for between $20,000 and $30,000.
However, there is uncertainty surrounding what Musk considers “genuinely useful.” Previous demonstrations have faced criticism; notably, in May, Tesla was accused of misleadingly showcasing an Optimus robot folding a shirt while actually being controlled by a person off-screen.
Tesla’s approach to showcasing its robots has not always been straightforward. The company’s introduction of the Optimus robot in 2021 was accompanied by a performance featuring a person in a robot costume.
Analyst Craig Irwin from Roth MKM commented on Yahoo Finance, “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 gonna 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 Boston Dynamics, Tesla faces competition from Japan’s Honda, Apptronik, and Chinese firms like Dongfeng Motor and Nio, which are piloting humanoid robots from UBTech Robotics on their production lines. BMW has also started utilizing humanoid robots from Silicon Valley’s Figure in its operations since January.
As a result of Musk’s statements, Tesla’s stock surged over 3% on Monday. Following a significant recovery in recent months, shares are holding steady year-to-date. Tesla is scheduled to release its second-quarter earnings on Tuesday, where Musk is anticipated to provide updates on the long-awaited robotaxi launch.