' However, new video evidence reveals that the 'unsupervised' Robotaxis were being followed by a trailing black Tesla vehicle with a safety monitor inside. This means Tesla didn't remove the safety monitors but rather moved them to a chase car following closely behind.
The move comes as Musk has been claiming that Tesla 'solved autonomy' again on stage in Davos, a claim he has made every year for the last 6 years. True unsupervised autonomy means the vehicle can operate safely without any human backup ready to intervene, which is not yet achieved by Tesla.
Having a chase car follow the 'autonomous' vehicle defeats the entire purpose of autonomy and is not scalable or cost-effective. The stock market responded positively to Musk's announcement, with Tesla shares jumping over 4% on the news, but this response highlights the importance of investors believing in Tesla's valuation thesis.
The company's entire valuation depends on investors thinking that full autonomy is right around the corner. Each carefully worded announcement implies progress, even when the underlying reality hasn't fundamentally changed, helping to maintain this narrative.
This incident highlights the need for transparency and clarity in Elon Musk's statements about Tesla's autonomous technology. The fact that the safety monitors were moved to a trailing car rather than removed from inside the Robotaxi shows that Tesla is not yet ready for true unsupervised autonomy. This approach is fundamentally different from other companies like Waymo, which have achieved genuine autonomy without human backup.
