Elon Musk just dropped a tentative date for Tesla's robotaxi launch
Musk said on Tuesday evening, in response to a user on X, that Tesla will begin offering rides to the public "Tentatively, June 22." However, he noted that it's not a date set in stone.
"We are being super paranoid about safety, so the date could shift," Musk wrote. "First Tesla that drives itself from factory end of line all the way to a customer house is June 28."
Musk previously said that the initial rollout would include 10 to 20 driverless Model Y vehicles and would remain within geo-fenced areas of Austin, meaning the vehicles wouldn't be able to travel through every corner of the city. While Musk set June as a target month for the launch, the CEO has never specified a day until now.
Earlier today, Musk appeared to confirm one of the first sightings of a Tesla robotaxi in Austin by responding to a video floating around on X. The video showed a Tesla Model Y carrying a passenger without a human behind the wheel. The car was emblazoned with the "Robotaxi" logo on the right door panel.
"These are unmodified Tesla cars coming straight from the factory, meaning that every Tesla coming out of our factories is capable of unsupervised self-driving," Musk said on X.
In a follow-up post on X, Musk suggested Austin was a better city than Los Angeles to start out a robotaxi service, writing: "Austin > > LA for robotaxi launch lol."
The CEO didn't specify yet why Austin is more preferable, but, in general, Texas has fewer regulations around autonomous vehicles, and is far less dense than Los Angeles, with about a quarter of the population of the southern California city.
A spokesperson for Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.
With Tesla tentatively set to offer driverless rides to the public later this month, Austin has become a sort of battleground for robotaxis.
Since March, Waymo has been offering autonomous rides through the Uber platform.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said during the first-quarter earnings call in May that the fleet of about 100 Waymo robotaxis is "now busier than over 99% of all drivers in Austin in terms of complete trips per day."
In California, humans were quick to adopt robotaxis, as Waymo increased the number of paid rides from about 12,000 in August 2023 to 708,180 rides in March 2025.
In total, Waymo provided more than 5 million rides in three years, according to data from the California Public Utilities Commission.
A Waymo spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
Musk said that the ramp-up for Tesla's robotaxi service will be quick. In an interview with CNBC, the CEO said that there will "probably" be 1,000 robotaxis within a few months. By the end of 2026, Musk predicted there could be more than one million self-driving Teslas in the US.
Musk often misses his own deadlines. Morningstar analyst Seth Goldstein previously told BI that Musk's 2026 guidance is "a bit optimistic."
"I think they'll get there, but I think the software is going to take more iterations than they're anticipating once they start testing a real robotaxi service," he said.
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The Intercept
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We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. CONTACT: CONTACT: Laura Wood,Senior Press Manager press@ For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
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Elon Musk controversy creates new problem for Tesla stock
Elon Musk controversy creates new problem for Tesla stock originally appeared on TheStreet. Last week, a social media post from Elon Musk caused many people to stop what they were doing and look down at their phones. Even for the Tesla () CEO, known for his controversial and bold opinions, what they saw seemed surprising. Musk had previously announced plans to cease his political spending. But only a few days later, he accused Trump of having direct ties to notorious criminal Jeffrey Epstein and alleged that without his help, the Republican president would not have won last year's election. 💵💰💰💵 Since then, Tesla has been in the spotlight, as the dispute between two of the world's most powerful men continues. While TSLA stock initially plunged on news of the argument, it has since regained some of its momentum. Even as shares slowly trend upward, though, experts speculate that short sellers may regard the Musk-Trump fallout as an opportunity to bet against the stock. Over the past few months, Musk's behavior has sparked a global backlash against Tesla's brand, causing sales to fall across the U.S. and Europe. This clear indication of consumer sentiment toward him has caused some financial experts, including Tesla shareholder and fund manager Ross Gerber, to call for him to step Musk announced that he would be stepping back from his role with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), TSLA stock surged, and some investors speculated that the company's troubles were over. But now his falling out with Trump has generated further uncertainty. When a prominent company starts showing signs of weakness or instability, short sellers are likely to start closing in. So far, Tesla's recent declines have been highly profitable for those willing to bet against it. The Wall Street Journal reports that as TSLA stock plunged last week, short sellers pocketed up to $4 billion, noting: 'Investors have made $7 billion betting against Tesla year-to-date, a roughly 30% return. Elon Musk's company is currently the second most shorted stock in the U.S. by total value of the position, with around $27.7 billion of shares sold short, according to S3.' Betting against an industry-leading company like Tesla will always carry some risk, regardless of how bleak its prospects may appear. But experts see a case for shorting TSLA stock, provided investors understand its volatile nature, which includes surging unexpectedly. 'I think Musk dragged Tesla into a political spectacle,' Galileo FX CEO David Materazzi tells TheStreet. 'That creates perceived instability. Short sellers don't need real damage, just the illusion of it. Volatility invites them in. When the CEO becomes the story, the stock turns into a target.' Financial education platform First Information's CEO Vince Stanzione holds a short position in TSLA. He says his reasons are 'business not personal,' however, citing the company's high valuation and questionable market share over the feud between Musk and Trump. More Tesla News: The 'anti-Tesla' gives American buyers more good news Analyst sets eye-popping Tesla stock price target Elon Musk's feud with Trump is hurting an unexpected investment 'The P/E ratio is over 100 and growth the last few years has been near zero,' he says of Tesla. 'The bulls will say you're paying for the future and Elon Musk's brilliance, and I am not disputing that Tesla could have some future hits in the pipeline, but Elon Must is very good at promising 'jam tomorrow' which never seems to materialize, or if and when it does, it's not the flavour he promised.' Stanzione also raises a concern regarding Tesla's foray into robotics, something on which Musk has hinged a lot of the company's prospects. This part of Tesla's business just became more complicated due to the abrupt departure of one of its leaders.'Unless robotaxis start showing up en masse by the end of this year, then investors will keep selling,' states Stanzione. 'I am very bullish on robotics. It's something I have been investing in for over a decade, especially in medical and military uses, however, Tesla is not the only game in town.' He names rivals such as Hyundai Motor Group and Boston Dynamics, both of which are making notable advances in the robotics field that could threaten Tesla's progress. Chief Analyst Dan Buckley also highlights the potential valuation problem, stating 'Tesla short sellers may see their edge in the long-term mismatch between its ~$1 trillion valuation and the current reality of its business – i.e., nearly all auto-based revenue – and the uncertain viability of its highly speculative emerging tech bets.' That said, Buckley advises investors considering a Tesla short to 'treat political feuds as a volatility amplifier rather than a directional signal' and highlights the importance of caution when betting against such an unpredictable Musk controversy creates new problem for Tesla stock first appeared on TheStreet on Jun 10, 2025 This story was originally reported by TheStreet on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
