As Tesla promotes product Musk predicted 80% of value will come from, costs jump
Tesla has begun production of its Optimus humanoid robot at its Fremont factory, a move aligned with Elon Musk's vision of the company as an AI and robotics leader. Despite the focus on future growth, the company faces financial pressure as revenue from its energy business declines.
Why it matters
Tesla's pivot toward robotics and AI is central to its long-term valuation strategy, though it faces significant execution and financial hurdles.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has predicted that Optimus robots will eventually make up for more than three-quarters of the automaker’s value. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, in September 2025, Tesla CEO wrote, "~80% of Tesla’s value will be Optimus.” And this was not the first time that Musk made an upbeat prediction on Optimus robots. Ever since Tesla revealed that it was working on a humanoid robot known as Optimus in 2021, Musk has spent years making the case that Tesla is really an AI and robotics company.Analysts see his attention move decisively to the AI parts of the company, which includes projects like Optimus robot and fully autonomous robotaxis. In mid-2024, at Tesla's annual shareholder meeting, CEO Musk had told shareholders that humanoid robots could lift the company’s market cap to $25 trillion at an unspecified future date.
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