Just because Tesla’s Optimus is in production doesn’t mean it’s actually ready
The Verge Rani Molla ● Covered by 2 sources
Tesla says Optimus has started early production in Fremont. Musk also says its hands, safety, reliability, durability, and AI still need work.
Based on reporting by The Verge, Rani Molla — read the original for the full story.
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Tesla says its humanoid robot has entered early production on the company’s high-volume line in Fremont, California. That sounds like a milestone, because it is. But Elon Musk used the same earnings call to make plain how much is still unfinished.
The robot still needs better hands, and Tesla still has work to do on safety, reliability, and durability. Musk also said the AI behind it has more to prove before the machine can be useful for open-ended tasks. That’s a big list of caveats for something being readied for volume production.
The pitch remains enormous. Musk said there will one day be more humanoid robots on Earth than humans. But that was a forward-looking claim, not a sign that Optimus is already there. Right now, the company is talking about early production and a long to-do list in the same breath.
That’s the real story here. Tesla can point to the line in Fremont, but it’s still describing a robot that needs more engineering before it becomes the worker Musk is selling.
My take — AI-written commentary, not fact-checked reporting
This is classic Tesla: announce the future, then quietly file the finishing work under “still needs work.” Production is the easy part when the product is a humanoid robot; making it safe, reliable, and useful is the whole point. The industry loves a demo, but the hand-waving around AI keeps getting less cute.
Read more about this at: The Verge
