The wait is finally over. After years of commitment from the weird CEO, Tesla made its debut on June 22 in Austin, Texas, the heart of the company’s entire future.
This is more than just a new feature. This is the cornerstone of Elon Musk’s narrative, Tesla is not only a car company, but also a powerhouse of AI and robots that changed the world. When automakers face fierce competition from Chinese competitors such as Byd, the success or failure of their autonomous vision can define the next chapter.
“The @tesla_ai Robotaxi launch conference started this afternoon in Austin, with customers paying a flat fee of $4.20!” Musk announced on X, then congratulating his team.
this @tesla_ai The Robotaxi launch event started this afternoon in Austin, with customers paying a flat fee of $4.20!
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 22, 2025
The service is driven on public roads in small fleets of 10 to 20 Y SUVs. In a demonstration released by Tesla, users in a specific “geographically granted” area in South Austin can ride on a ride through a dedicated app. The concept is simple: a taxi without a human driver.
However, the reality of this “limited launch” is more cautious. The first rides were given to a group of influential people and fans, and the company released a video showing a “safety monitor” sitting in the passenger seat, which is inconsistent with the dream of total autonomy.
– Tesla (@tesla) June 22, 2025
Musk himself acknowledged that the company was “super paranoid about safety” and that it seems reasonable, given that the new Texas law requires national self-driving car licenses, which will take effect on September 1.
For the time being, June 22.
We are very paranoid about security, so dates may change.
The first Tesla from the end of the factory to the customer’s home was June 28.
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 11, 2025
At the heart of Robotaxi is a vehicle powered by Tesla’s state-of-the-art version of the complete autonomous driving (FSD) system and eight camera kits. But unlike its competitors, Tesla claims that its systems do not require expensive pre-mapping services. The company released on X is “just effective,” which is expected to expand to cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles in the future.
For Musk, this is the climax of a long-standing commitment. He envisions a future fleet that includes a new “network license plate” and “Robovan” without steering wheels or pedals, which could put Tesla’s market value at an astonishing $5 trillion to $10 trillion. On June 20, Tesla was worth $1.04 trillion, the 11th largest company in the world. By comparison, Microsoft ($3.54T), NVIDIA ($3.50T) and Apple ($3.00T) ranked No. 1 in the rankings.
The Financial Bull shared his optimism. “My view is the golden age of self-driving cars, starting with Tesla on Sunday in Austin,” said Wedbush analyst Dan Ives. “I believe this is a multi-trillion-dollar valuation opportunity for Tesla.” ARK Invest of investor Cathie Wood predicts that Robotaxis may account for 90% of Tesla’s profits by 2029. If it is correct, the launch this weekend is there.
🚨Broken: Dan Ives says Tesla’s biggest growth chapter starts on Sunday
He calls it a $1 trillion opportunity pic.twitter.com/fmhfx7mqet
– Muskonomy (@muskonomy) June 21, 2025
But there is a huge problem: Tesla may be late for the party.
Waymo is Google’s autonomous driving division and current market leader, already operating in Austin with a larger service area, as well as Phoenix, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Zoox, powered by Amazon, is live in Las Vegas and San Francisco and is being tested in several other cities. The question is not whether Tesla’s robots work. This is whether they will work better and faster than everyone else.
The fierce competition has led skeptics to refute Musk’s grand predictions. They believe that Tesla is unlikely to dominate a market that already has a significant start.
“What valuation will be valued for Tesla’s autonomy when Tesla’s autonomy must be separated from others’ independent ride market?” Asked investor Gary Black’s fund has sold all Tesla shares.
this $ TSLA The debate is not about whether Tesla robotaxi vs Waymo or Zoox, or whether TSLA Robotaxi works in 99.99% of its efficacy. Of course, it will work, otherwise Elon wouldn’t move forward today with today’s Austin Robotaxi release.
The problem that the bulls painfully avoid is the others…
— Gary Black (@garyblack00) June 22, 2025
This is a trillion dollars problem. Is Austin the dawn of Tesla’s next great chapter, or is it possible that it has lost its cautious, over-transparent contestant?
