Tesla’s stock experienced a rise on Monday as CEO Elon Musk continued to emphasize the potential value of the company’s humanoid robots.
On social media platform 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.”
Back in April, during Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting, Musk indicated that the Optimus robot project would enter limited production by 2025, aiming for over 1,000 units operational by year-end. Currently, two robots are already on the Tesla factory floor, although their specific functions remain undisclosed.
Musk previously suggested that the humanoid robots could potentially add $20 trillion to Tesla’s market capitalization, with sales projected to start at the end of 2025, likely priced between $20,000 and $30,000.
However, the term “genuinely useful” has raised questions regarding the robots’ practicality, especially after previous product demonstrations which have garnered skepticism. Notably, Tesla was accused of showcasing a video of an Optimus robot folding a shirt that appeared to be manipulated by an off-screen person.
Skepticism about Tesla’s robot capabilities is not new; the project was initially introduced in 2021 with a person dancing in a costume during the reveal. Analyst Craig Irwin from Roth MKM pointed out on Yahoo Finance that the ambitious timeline for a sentient humanoid robot by 2025 is questionable, stating, “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 competing with Boston Dynamics, Tesla faces competition from Honda and Apptronik. Chinese manufacturers Dongfeng Motor and Nio are also experimenting with humanoid robots by UBTech Robotics in their production lines, while BMW has integrated humanoid robots from Figure into their operations since January.
On the back of Musk’s comments, Tesla’s stock increased by over 3% on Monday, stabilizing year-to-date following a notable recovery in the past two months. The company will disclose its second-quarter earnings on Tuesday, during which Musk is anticipated to provide insights on the anticipated launch of the robotaxi.