It has been calculated that the S&P 500’s total value is currently $45.5 trillion. Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, claimed on Thursday 13th June 2024 that the company’s Optimus humanoid robots could potentially raise the automaker’s value to over half of that amount.
During the 2024 annual shareholder meeting in Austin, Texas, Musk, who reportedly identifies as ‘pathologically optimistic,’ declared that Tesla is not just entering a ‘new chapter,‘ but is on the brink of beginning an entirely ‘new book,’ with Optimus poised to play a pivotal role.
Tesla initially revealed its intention to develop humanoid robots at the AI Day event in 2021, showcasing a performer in a unitard as a stand-in for a sleek, gender-neutral robot prototype.
Musk’s vision
At the shareholder meeting, Musk was reserved about Optimus’ present capabilities. He suggested that, in the future, these robots could operate in a manner akin to Star Wars’ R2-D2 and C-3PO, undertaking tasks such as cooking, cleaning, factory work, or even teaching children.
In terms of shareholder value, Musk speculated that Optimus might play a key role in boosting Tesla’s market capitalization to $25 trillion eventually. No time scale was put forward.
And, don’t forget about the development of the robot taxi and of the fully autonomous vehicle.