Tesla Inc TSLA CEO Elon Musk said on Sunday he is personally “driving” the company’s humanoid robot program that he revealed last year at the company’s AI Day.
What Happened: The billionaire entrepreneur was responding to a post on the micro-blogging site Twitter that claimed Musk was possibly doubling his bets on the humanoid AI robot based on better-than-expected quarterly results.
Tesla influencer Dave Lee said in a Twitter post that Musk was probably shown better results by his team.
Musk replied saying that just as he drives almost all new programs, he is looking at the humanoid project personally as well.
Musk further said he doesn't drive these programs because he "wants to" but because he "has to."
Why It Matters: Musk told investors last week Tesla's AI humanoid robot, Optimus, sits high in terms of priority. The world’s richest person said the AI bot is the most important product development the company is working on, this year.
"This, I think, has the potential to be more significant than the vehicle business over time ... what happens if you don't actually have a labor shortage? I'm not sure what an economy even means at that point. That's what Optimus is about," Musk said in a post-earnings call with investors.
Tesla revealed a humanoid robot at the AI Day last year. The bot, Musk said, seeks to change the perception of Tesla being just a car company and make it about being the “world’s largest robotic company.”
Price Action: Tesla shares closed 2% higher at $846.4 a share on Friday.
Photo: Courtesy of Heisenberg Media via Wikimedia
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