Humanoids
Musk admitted that no Optimus robots were yet doing useful work at Tesla.
A dated step forward on the record
What the source says
“A year later, he admitted that zero Optimus robots were doing useful work at Tesla.”
What it means
Optimus, from Tesla, is at stage 1 of 5 on our ladder: demo only. Its stage is set by other milestones on its record; this one adds to the history.
Human help: The maker hasn't said whether people help it remotely.
More on Optimus
- Musk said Tesla would start delivering Optimus to outside customers around the end of 2027, saying the hands, durability and AI still needed work first.
- Tesla said it had started making what it called its first production-quality Optimus robots at its Fremont, California factory, with Musk calling it early production and warning of a slow ramp.
- Tesla reportedly plans to lease Optimus, not sell it, to a short list of companies.
- Tesla went from a few dozen robots a week in the spring to several hundred a week in August 2026, The Information reported. These are V3 robots, not yet the version Tesla plans to sell.
- Tesla stopped making its Model S and Model X cars in early May 2026 and turned that Fremont line over to Optimus, according to The Information.
- Optimus robots mingled with guests at Tesla's 'We, Robot' event. Bloomberg's sources said staff working remotely oversaw many of those interactions.