Tesla CEO Elon Musk has revealed the biggest hurdle in the ambitious journey of mass-producing Optimus, the company’s humanoid robot. While the robot is already contributing to tasks within Tesla factories, scaling up production requires tackling significant challenges.
Musk, in a recent X post, acknowledged the difficulties in optimizing Optimus’ design for ease of manufacturing. He also emphasized the complexity of establishing a robust supply chain to support large-scale production.
This statement came in response to computer programmer John Carmack, who expressed skepticism about the near-term practicality of humanoid robots. Carmack’s viewpoint was that while AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) could potentially drive significant economic growth in the long run, immediate impact within the next five years seemed unlikely.
Musk, however, countered by asserting that Optimus is already actively involved in certain factory tasks and its capabilities are rapidly expanding.
During Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting in June, Musk made bold predictions about Optimus’ future, envisioning at least one humanoid robot for every person on the planet. This ambitious goal translates to a potential robot population of over 10 billion, with Tesla aiming to secure a substantial share. He went on to claim that the potential market size for Optimus could reach a staggering $25 trillion, surpassing the $5-$7 trillion market cap of autonomous vehicles.
Musk’s vision includes making Optimus accessible to the public at an affordable price point, targeting a range of $10,000 to $20,000. This price point would make Optimus more affordable than Tesla’s cheapest Model 3 sedan once high-volume production is achieved.
In July, Musk expressed confidence that Tesla will be producing ‘genuinely useful’ Optimus robots in limited quantities for internal factory use next year. The company hopes to expand production to meet demand from other customers in 2026.
A glimpse of Tesla’s Optimus vision was showcased last month at the company’s robotaxi unveiling event in Los Angeles. Around 20 active robots were presented, engaging in tasks like pouring drinks, handing out snacks, and even performing dance moves. However, Milan Kovac, Head of Engineering for Optimus, confirmed that the robots received human assistance to some extent to illustrate the company’s vision for the event.
As Tesla continues to refine Optimus and navigate the challenges of mass production, the world eagerly awaits the arrival of these humanoid robots and their potential impact on various industries.
