Elon Musk
Elon Musk just revealed more about Tesla’s June Robotaxi launch
Tesla CEO Elon Musk gave more information about the Robotaxi launch in Austin set for June.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk just revealed more details about the company’s June Robotaxi launch, which will kick off in Austin.
As of right now, Tesla is still set to push out the first Robotaxi rides in Austin, Texas, in early June. These vehicles will be in short supply at first, as Musk says the company is purposely rolling out the fleet in a slow and controlled fashion to prioritize safety. There will be ten vehicles in the Robotaxi fleet to start.
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However, in an interview with CNBC on Tuesday afternoon, Musk also revealed some other new details, including where in Austin the vehicles will be able to go, how many Robotaxis we could see on public roads within a few months, and other information regarding Tesla’s Full Self-Driving suite.
A Controlled Rollout
Tesla has maintained for a few months now that the Robotaxi fleet will be comprised of between 10 and 20 Model Y vehicles in Austin.
The Cybercab, which was unveiled by the company last October, will not be available initially, as those cars will likely be produced in 2026.
Musk said during the CNBC interview that Tesla is doing a low-yield trial at first to initiate a safety-first mentality. It is important for Tesla to launch the Robotaxi fleet in a small manner to keep things in check, at least at first.
As confidence builds and the accuracy of the fleet is ensured, more vehicles will be added to the fleet.
Musk believes there will be 1,000 Robotaxis on the road “in a few months.”
Geofenced to Certain Austin Areas
Tesla will be launching the Robotaxi program in a geofenced fashion that gives the company the ability to control where it goes. Musk says that the areas the Robotaxis will be able to travel to are among the safest neighborhoods and areas in Austin.
This is yet another safety protocol that will ensure the initial riders are not put in dangerous neighborhoods.
Some might be disappointed to hear this because of Tesla’s spoken confidence regarding Robotaxi, but the initial rollout does need to be controlled for safety reasons. An accident or incident of any kind that would put riders’ lives in danger would be catastrophic.
No Driver, No Problem
As the company has rolled out an employee-only version of the Robotaxi program in Austin and the San Francisco Bay Area, some wondered whether the rides would be driverless, as these initial trials for Tesla workers were not. Employee rides featured a human in the driver’s seat to ensure safety.
Tesla says it has launched ride-hailing Robotaxi teaser to employees only
The company did not report whether there were any interventions or not, but it did state that the vehicles traveled over 15,000 miles through 1,500 trips.
Musk confirmed during the interview that there will be no driver in the vehicle when the Robotaxi program launches in June. This will be groundbreaking as it will be the first time that Tesla vehicles will operate on public roads without anyone in the driver’s seat.
Full Self-Driving Licensing
For more than a year, Tesla has indicated that it is in talks with another major automaker regarding the licensing of Full Self-Driving. Many speculated that the company was Ford, but neither it nor Tesla confirmed this.
Musk said today that Tesla has been in touch with “a number of automakers” that have inquired about licensing FSD. Tesla has yet to sign any deal to do so.
Here is the full interview with @elonmusk talking about Tesla and the Cybercab! pic.twitter.com/992njb0lPS
— Robin (@xdNiBoR) May 20, 2025
Elon Musk
Elon Musk: Trillionaire Tesla pay package is about influence, not wealth
The 2025 CEO Performance Award, worth up to $900 billion in TSLA stock, could make Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire,
Elon Musk recently addressed his proposed Tesla 2025 CEO Performance Award on X, highlighting that his concerns are about influence, not personal wealth.
The 2025 CEO Performance Award, worth up to $900 billion in TSLA stock, could make Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire, provided that he hits incredibly ambitious targets for the electric vehicle maker.
Tesla’s ambitious targets
Musk shared his thoughts in a response to an X post that referenced his compensation package. “It’s not about ‘compensation,’ but about me having enough influence over Tesla to ensure safety if we build millions of robots.
“If I can just get kicked out in the future by activist shareholder advisory firms who don’t even own Tesla shares themselves, I’m not comfortable with that future,” Musk wrote in his post.
Tesla’s new performance award would grant Musk shares as the company grows from today’s $1.1 trillion valuation to an incredible $8.5 trillion within a decade. At that level, Tesla would become the world’s largest company by valuation by a notable margin, eclipsing today’s top companies such as Apple, Nvidia, and Microsoft.
Massive product goals
Elon Musk’s 2025 CEO Performance Award will not be easy to accomplish. To earn his award, Musk would have to lead Tesla an operating profit of $400 billion anually, a substantial increase from today’s $17 billion annually.
Musk’s influence would grow alongside Tesla’s valuation, with his stake rising from 13% to about 25%. Tesla’s board emphasized in its filing that retaining Musk is fundamental to hitting these milestones.
The package extends beyond financials, as it also ties compensation to milestones in Tesla’s core products and emerging technologies. These include the delivery of 20 million vehicles cumulatively, 10 million active Full Self-Driving subscriptions, and the deployment of 1 million robots, and the rollout of 1 million Robotaxis.
Elon Musk
Neuralink is planning to launch US trials translating thoughts into text
The trial could help pave the way for people with speech impairments to communicate more quickly and efficiently.
Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain-computer interface company, is reportedly planning to start a US clinical trial in October to use its technology to translate thoughts directly into text.
The trial was approved by the FDA under an investigational device exemption, and it could help pave the way for people with speech impairments to communicate more quickly and efficiently.
Thought-to-text technology
The upcoming trial aims to read speech directly from the brain, enabling participants to transmit words without moving their mouths or using a keyboard, as noted in a report from Bloomberg News.
DJ Seo, Neuralink’s president, told an audience at the Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies in Seoul that the company hopes to demonstrate communication with large language model AI platforms “at the speed of thought,” potentially faster than spoken speech.
“We think that it’s actually possible to demonstrate abilities to speak to the latest AI model, or LLM models, at the speed of thought, even faster than how you’re speaking, and being able to potentially get that information back through your AirPods, effectively closing the loop,” Seo stated.
Production ambitions
Ultimately, Seo described the trial as a stepping stone toward broader human enhancement and consumer-facing applications, beyond the company’s initial focus on medical conditions like ALS, stroke, blindness, and Parkinson’s disease.
While initial implants will focus on patients with severe speech impairments, Neuralink plans to eventually expand to healthy individuals by 2030. The company aims to scale to 20,000 implants per year by 2031.
“We’re currently envisioning a world where, in about 3 to 4 years, there will be someone who’s otherwise healthy who’s going to get a Neuralink. If you’re imagining saying something, we would be able to pick that up,” the executive noted.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk and Donald Trump reconcile publicly at Charlie Kirk memorial
The reconciliation fulfilled Kirk’s longtime wish for the two men to mend relations.
Elon Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump interacted with each other publicly for the first time since their feud, sharing a handshake and conversation during a memorial service for slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The reconciliation fulfilled Kirk’s longtime wish for the two men to mend relations, something he had openly discussed prior to his passing.
Kirk’s wishes for Musk and Trump
As noted in a CNN report, Kirk had long positioned himself as an intermediary between Musk and Trump, maintaining close ties with both figures even at the height of their falling out. He highlighted this in a conversation with commentator Megyn Kelly in June. “I know both these guys … I am hopeful, optimistic, and will do everything I possibly can to try and bring this back together,” Kirk said.
Kirk had also spoken highly of both men. On his podcast, he described Musk’s acquisition of Twitter as “the most important purchase since the Louisiana purchase.” He also praised Trump’s MAGA movement.
Kirk reportedly texted Musk frequently, urging him to avoid rhetoric that could harm Trump’s agenda. Musk reportedly was receptive to Kirk’s feedback, despite his announcement that he would be launching a third political party in the United States. His prediction proved accurate when Musk and Trump were sighted side-by-side during his memorial service, where they spoke briefly and shook hands.
Signs of reconciliation
Kirk’s memorial became a symbolic turning point. Andrew Kolvet, executive producer of Kirk’s podcast, posted a photo of Musk and Trump together, noting Kirk’s hope that the two would reconcile “for Charlie.” Musk himself echoed the sentiment, sharing a similar photo with the words “For Charlie,” followed by the White House X account posting the same line later.
Musk has since engaged more positively with Trump on social media, while his America Party PAC shared images of Musk embracing Kirk’s widow, Erika. After her speech calling for forgiveness, Musk posted a passage from the Lord’s Prayer: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
Kirk had shared his wish for such an outcome in the past. “Knowing both of these men and knowing President Trump much better than Elon, but knowing both of these men, I can tell you I think that there’s going to be a peace treaty moment, a calming down, a moment where both sides come together and we know that we are stronger against the left than we are divided,” Kirk had stated over the summer.
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