The 1 Thing I'd Want Elon Musk to Answer on Tesla's Oct. 21 Call
As Tesla prepares for its Q3 earnings call, analysts are questioning the long-term profitability of the company's Robotaxi service. Despite high delivery numbers, the stock's valuation remains heavily dependent on the future success of autonomous ride-hailing.
Why it matters
Tesla's stock valuation is increasingly decoupled from traditional automotive manufacturing metrics, relying instead on speculative AI and autonomous software revenue.
Tesla ( TSLA -1.29% ) will release its third-quarter results after the close on Wednesday, Oct. 21, with a live webcast to follow at 5:30 p.m. Eastern time. Some of the quarter is already known. The EV maker said it delivered 486,532 vehicles in the period, up about 1% from the second quarter.
Shares trade around $367 as of this writing, about 25% under their record close of $489.88 in December 2025.
Most of the attention on the call will likely turn to Tesla's profit margins. But I'd say the answer that matters most for the stock won't be in the earnings report at all. If I could ask CEO Elon Musk one thing, it'd be this: How much does Tesla earn per paid Robotaxi mile after the cost of running the car?
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