Tesla Exec says FSD years behind Waymo
07:57 Share

At Sierra, discover great deals on top brand workout gear, like high-quality walking shoes, which might lead to another discovery. 40,000 steps, baby! Who's on top now, Karen? You've taken the office step challenge a step too far. Don't worry, though. Sierra also has yoga gear. It might be a good place to find your zen. Discover top brands at unexpectedly low prices. Sierra, let's get moving.

You know that feeling when someone shows up for you just when you need it most? That's what Uber is all about. Not just a ride or dinner at your door. It's how Uber helps you show up for the moments that matter. Because showing up can turn a tough day around or make a good one even better. Whatever it is, big or small, Uber is on the way. So you can be on yours. Uber, on our way.

Your ultimate authority for daily Elon Musk news.

Tesla's head of autopilot and AI software just delivered some uncomfortable truths about the company's autonomous driving capabilities. They told an interviewer that Tesla's full self-driving technology still trails Google's Waymo by a couple of years despite years of bold promises by Elon Musk.

about robotaxis and coast-to-coast autonomous drives. This admission comes at a particularly awkward time for Tesla, which plans to launch its Robotaxi service pilot next month and has spent years marketing itself as the leader in automotive autonomy. The timing raises serious questions about whether Tesla's self-driving promises match the technical reality on the ground.

This assessment breaks from Tesla's usual pattern of projecting confidence about its autonomous driving timeline, making the comments all the more striking for engineers and consumers who've been waiting for Tesla to deliver on its self-driving vision.

Now, the gap between Tesla and Waymo comes down to fundamental technical choices made years ago. Tesla chose a camera-only approach called TeslaVision, while Waymo equipped its vehicles with expensive LiDAR sensors that cost around $75,000 per unit. Elon Musk famously called LiDAR a crutch and bet Tesla's autonomous strategy

to cameras. And they cost between a dollar and $10 per sensor. This decision seems smart from a cost perspective, but it created technical challenges that Tesla still hasn't solved.

Now, the performance difference shows up in real-world testing scenarios. Business Insider recently tested Tesla's full self-driving software and watched it drive into a bike lane before running a red line. Waymo's vehicle took a different route during the same test and avoided both problems entirely.

These aren't edge cases or minor glitches, but fundamental safety issues that highlight the technical gap that they acknowledged. Now, Tesla's camera-only approach faces inherent limitations that make autonomous driving harder to achieve. Cameras rely on external lighting conditions and struggle in situations where LiDAR excels, like detecting objects in complete darkness or measuring precise distances to other vehicles. The...

software engineer admitted that solving autonomous driving with vision-only sensors is technically challenging, but argues it's more valuable for the world to have a low-cost solution. This trade-off between cost and capability has become Tesla's defining characteristic in the autonomous driving space.

The cost argument has become less compelling as LiDAR prices have dropped dramatically. Modern LiDAR units now cost under $1,000, cheap enough for Toyota to include them in a $20,000 Chinese market electric vehicle. Tesla's cars cost twice as much but still rely exclusively on cameras. Power efficiency is another factor. Cameras use 0.9 watts each compared to 10 watts for a Luminar Halo LiDAR unit.

Tesla's hardware for cars use eight external cameras, so the total power consumption difference isn't as dramatic as it appears. Tesla's struggle with autonomous driving matter because they affect the entire electric vehicle industry's capabilities.

When the market leader in electric vehicles repeatedly misses self-driving deadlines, it undermines consumer confidence in the brand and in autonomous technology across all manufacturers. Tesla has been promising a fully autonomous coast-to-coast drive since 2016, and each missed deadline makes the next promise harder to believe for some consumers.

This credibility gap extends beyond Tesla to other companies making similar claims about autonomous driving deadlines.

Now, the admission also affects Tesla's business model and stock valuation. Tesla trades at a premium compared to traditional automakers, partly because investors believe the company will generate revenue from autonomous robotaxis. If Tesla's self-driving technology really lags Waymo by years, that robotaxi revenue might take much longer to materialize than investors expect. The gap between Tesla's market valuation and its actual autonomous driving capabilities could force a significant repricing of the stock.

Meanwhile, Tesla's sales problems extend beyond autonomous driving into core business fundamentals. The company's global deliveries dropped 13% in the first quarter of this year, while EV sales increased in the United States, Europe, and China. Musk blames the decline on factory retooling for the refreshed Model Y, claiming that Tesla had to shut down production facilities worldwide to implement changes. He

He insists that retooling was necessary and timed for the first quarter when seasonal demand traditionally runs lower.

Musk claims Tesla has seen a major rebound in demand following the factory retooling, but the sales data doesn't support this assertion yet. Tesla's April numbers continue declining, especially in Europe, where some countries saw drops as large as 80%. China represents Tesla's second largest market, and sales there fell 9% in April, while the overall Chinese electric vehicle market grew 38%. These numbers suggest Tesla's problems go deeper than temporary factory shutdowns.

and the sales decline coincides with Musk's controversial political activities and his relationship with President Donald Trump. Many analysts point to Musk's political involvement as a factor in Tesla's declining sales, particularly among environmentally conscious consumers who traditionally buy electric vehicles. Now, Musk discusses this concern, asking how much consumers really care about a CEO's political views when making purchasing decisions. The

The question reveals a disconnect between Musk's perception and market reality, as consumer sentiment data suggests political associations do influence buying decisions for many Tesla customers. Now, Tesla's current situation illustrates the challenge of managing technical innovation alongside public expectations. Now, the company built its reputation on ambitious promises about autonomous driving and sustainable transportation.

But delivering on those promises has proven more difficult than anticipated. Eczema isn't always obvious, but it's real. And so is the relief from Ebbgliss. After an initial dosing phase of 16 weeks, about 4 in 10 people taking Ebbgliss achieved itch relief and clear or almost clear skin. And most of those people maintain skin that's still more clear at one year with monthly dosing. Ebbgliss, labricizumab, LBKZ, a 250 milligram per 2 milliliter injection is a

Prescription medicine used to treat adults and children 12 years of age and older who weigh at least 88 pounds or 40 kilograms with moderate to severe eczema. Also called atopic dermatitis that is not well controlled with prescription therapies used on the skin or topicals or who cannot use topical therapies. Ebglis can be used with or without topical corticosteroids. Don't use if you're allergic to Ebglis. Allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. Eye problems can occur. Tell your doctor if you have new or worsening eye problems.

You should not receive a live vaccine when treated with Epglys. Before starting Epglys, tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. Searching for real relief? Ask your doctor about Epglys and visit epglys.lily.com or call 1-800-LILY-RX or 1-800-545-5979.

This honest assessment of Tesla's position relative to Waymo provides a rare glimpse into the technical reality behind the marketing claims. That admission that Tesla trails Waymo by years contradicts the company's public messaging about being ready to launch robotaxi services. Now, it's a fresh departure for Tesla's usual confident public statements about autonomous driving.

The willingness to acknowledge this position relative to competitors suggests the company might be adopting a more realistic approach to communicating about its self-driving timeline. Whether this honesty translates into more achievable promises and better execution remains to be seen, but it provides a clearer picture of where Tesla actually stands in the race toward full autonomy.

Hey, thank you so much for listening today. I really do appreciate your support. If you could take a second and hit the subscribe or the follow button on whatever podcast platform that you're listening on right now, I'd greatly appreciate it. It helps out the show tremendously, and you'll never miss an episode. And each episode is about 10 minutes or less to get you caught up quickly. And please, if you want to support the show even more, go to patreon.com slash stage zero.

And please take care of yourselves and each other. And I'll see you tomorrow.