Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) critic Gordon Johnson said Elon Musk’s promised "storm of Cybercabs" failed to materialize at Tesla’s Austin launch, arguing the robotaxi narrative has been more about supporting the stock than proving scalable autonomous operations.
Johnson Slams Tesla’s Muted Cybercab Launch
"Musk promised a ‘storm of Cybercabs,’" Johnson wrote on X. "What showed up: No livestream (2M waited on X), No Elon, No pricing, no fleet size, A NHTSA probe within 24 hrs, $TSLA -6%."
"The robotaxi story was never about robotaxis. It was about the stock," he concluded.
Reuters reported Tesla began offering Cybercab rides Thursday only in "limited areas of Austin, Texas." Musk skipped the event, while executive remarks on pricing, manufacturing and technology lasted roughly 15 minutes. Texas records showed 45 Cybercabs among 420 autonomous Tesla vehicles registered in the state. The 45-vehicle fleet had already emerged in Texas records ahead of the launch.
That limited launch followed months of uneven robotaxi performance. Jefferies analysts earlier found Tesla rides in Austin were cheaper than Alphabet Inc.’s (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Waymo but suffered longer waits, more human safety drivers and suboptimal routes.
Federal Regulators Scrutinize Tesla Cybercab Self-Certification
The regulatory headache arrived immediately. NHTSA opened an Audit Query into roughly 1,000 Cybercabs, examining how Tesla self-certified vehicles with no steering wheel, brake pedal, accelerator pedal or mirrors as compliant with federal safety standards.
"NHTSA fully supports the safe development and deployment of automated vehicles," Administrator Jonathan Morrison said. "But as the federal regulator, we need to ensure that all of our laws are followed."
Tesla Defends Broader Autonomous Network Ambitions
Separately, Tesla investor Gary Black argued in July that visible Cybercab inventory means little without commercially scalable autonomy. He dismissed parked Cybercabs at Giga Texas as "irrelevant to investors" unless they could operate without safety monitors.
Tesla, however, says Cybercab rides are now available to the public in limited parts of Austin and that Robotaxi operates with Model Ys across Texas and Florida. The company says Cybercab will eventually anchor a larger autonomous network.
Price Action: Tesla shares fell nearly 6% Friday to $354.08, reversing the prior day’s gains, the stock fell a further 0.34% in after-hours trading.
Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that Tesla stock offers a negative price trend in the Short, Medium and Long term.
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