Tesla may be electric vehicle manufacturer but CEO Elon Musk has made it clear that he thinks of it as much more: an innovator in artificial intelligence and software, a creator of world-shaking robots. He also claimed that Tesla should be worth much more than today: up to 20 trillion dollars, published in Julywhich is more than five times Nvidia's current value.
Musk has also made it clear that he wants to make a lot of money. In November, Tesla shareholders will vote on the board's proposal to pay the CEO outstanding $1 trillion over the next decade. The deal will also increase Musk's stake in Tesla from 13 percent to a quarter. But Musk will only get that big of a figure (and additional control) if he hits a series of ambitious targets, including 20 million cars delivered, 1 million robotaxis into commercial operation and an estimated $8.5 trillion. And also delivered 1 million humanoid Optimus robots.
During a call with investors on Wednesday, Musk focused on that last point to make his most ominous argument yet for the gigantic payday. “My main concern about how much control I have over the Tesla vote is this: If I go ahead and build this huge army of robots, could I just be forced out at some point in the future?” – he said. “If we create this army of robots, will I have at least a lot of influence over this army of robots? Not control, but a lot of influence… I don't feel comfortable creating this army of robots unless I have a lot of influence.”
Overall, Musk talks about the Tesla Optimus project as a force for peace, not war. He said that Optimus would revolutionize the job market and free humanity from drudgery. (“Work will be optional, like growing your own vegetables instead of buying them from the store,” he published this week.) Elsewhere on Wednesday's call with investors, he said Tesla's robots will “essentially create a world where there is no poverty, where everyone has access to the best health care.”
Optimus, he added, “will be an incredible surgeon, and imagine if everyone had access to an incredible surgeon.” For Tesla, Optimus will be an “endless money glitch,” Musk said, arguing that everyone will need a humanoid robot that can do all their work for them.