That’s not really what’s driving the leasing model. Near term, it just helps sidestep durability and cost concerns. Long term as the cost approaches ~$25,000 as opposed to $100k + I think you’ll probably be able to buy one… but most people will order them the same way they order a robotaxi. Just go in the app and call 2 robots for 2 hours. Tesla sends them in a Cybercab, you pay them hourly like a human, and then they leave. Your car gets charged for the ride and the bots.

In hindsight, it was a mistake for SpaceX to send them thousands of free Starlink dishes and millions of dollars a month in free service at the beginning of the war. What started as internet access for civilians became the backbone for autonomous killing drones. And now if they don’t support military use, they get skewered for it in the press.

I can’t even describe how much FSD has enhanced my life. Yesterday, I had an intense day at work. I rushed to get ready for a much needed mom’s night out with a friend while taking care of three kids under 5 for dinner with my husband. I get in my car, say where I need to go, and sit back while I am transported to my dinner. It was the first time in my day I was able to kick back, listen to music, and just enjoy the moment — without the additional stress of driving during rush hour. We are living in the future, and I'm here for it.

It’s surprising how many people are still in denial that Tesla launched a Robotaxi. In this Forbes article the author, an early Waymo employee, claims that the Cybercab — a car with no steering wheel — is actually not unsupervised. He argues that Cybercabs must be secretly remotely driven, because there’s no way the AI can do it. This is a laughable argument. First off, all autonomous vehicles can be tracked by the operator, and they can receive commands remotely. This does not mean they’re being driven over the internet, which would be unreliable and barely work at all. Just go try FSD (Supervised), which has no remote monitoring or assistance. Watch how it drives you around safely for thousands of miles and then tell me with a straight face that remote assistance is required. It’s also not true that remote help only happens at early stages. all operators including Waymo still do it, and in most cases are required to have the capability by law. To claim autonomous cars are secretly being driven over the internet is, at this point, tinfoil hat stuff. The AI is driving the car, not a human. Supervised means someone is in the car responsible for taking over if something goes wrong. Unsupervised means there is not someone in the car supervising. Cybercab without steering wheel is always unsupervised because there is no way to drive it manually.

If you have a Tesla and haven't tried FSD in the last year, you need to try it again. Free month trial with this link. (i don't care about the referal credit, I'm posting this as a PSA because FSD is so awesome. )