US EditionMusk Distracts Tesla Investors with Fantastical Optimus Hype
Tesla disclosed no Optimus robots are doing material work as it iterates designs and plans mass production of Gen 3 Optimus with a target of 1 million units annually.
- No Optimus robots are currently performing useful work in Tesla's factories, Elon Musk admitted on Tesla's Q4 2025 earnings call.
- Amid production setbacks, the program faces multiple 2025 supply-chain reports and the departure of the head of the Optimus program, while Tesla says Optimus remains in early development and iterates designs.
- Earlier promises of thousands and a June 2024 claim of two Optimus bots clash with Tesla's public demonstrations relying on teleoperation rather than autonomous factory work.
- Financially, the Optimus target ties to Tesla's $20 billion in capex and plans to retool Fremont for a capacity of one million Optimus units per year.
- In Q1 of this year Tesla will unveil Gen 3 Optimus and prepare production lines before the end of 2026, but Rodney Brooks called it "pure fantasy thinking" for near‑term usefulness.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Should robots look like humans?
Read: 6 min Elon Musk wants you to feel “Optimustic” about a future full of robots that look like humans. The Tesla chief executive recently released a video of himself dancing alongside Optimus, a robot prototype being developed by the US$1.3-trillion company. Feeling Optimustic about the future! pic.twitter.com/OBuXmTFe0c— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 15, 2026 But not everyone is convinced robots should look like humans. In January, the W…
Tesla says production-ready Optimus robot is coming soon
In its earnings report, Tesla says that the third-generation version of its Optimus humanoid robot "meant for mass production" will be unveiled in the first quarter of 2026. This new version of Optimus will include "major upgrades from version 2.5, including our latest hand design." And the company is making preparations for the first production line, which will commence "before the end of 2026." Tesla says its planning for the eventual capacity…
LG Energy Solution pursuing battery deal for Tesla Optimus, other humanoid robots: report
A recent report has suggested that LG Energy Solution is in discussions to supply batteries for Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot. Optimus is expected to be one of Tesla’s most ambitious projects, with Elon Musk estimating that the humanoid robot could be the company’s most important product. Humanoid robot battery deals LG Energy Solution shares jumped more than 11% on the 28th after a report from the Korea Economic Daily claimed that the company …
Elon Musk has admitted that the robot Optimus is still learning and is not productive. An improved successor is to be presented shortly.
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