Tesla could be an electric car maker, but CEO Elon Musk has made it clear he’s thinking about much more: an innovator in artificial intelligence and software, a maker of robots that shake the world. He also argued that Tesla should be worth much more than it is today: as much as $20 trillion, he said in July, or more than five times Nvidia’s current value.
Musk also made it clear that he wants to be paid a lot. In November, Tesla shareholders will vote on the board’s proposal to pay the CEO a remarkable $1 trillion over the next decade. The deal would also increase Musk’s stake in Tesla from 13% to a quarter. But Musk would only get that high number — and that extra scrutiny — if he achieved a series of ambitious metrics, including 20 million vehicles delivered, 1 million robo-taxis in commercial operation and a valuation of $8.5 trillion. And also, 1 million Optimus humanoid robots delivered.
On a call with investors Wednesday, Musk focused on the latter point to make his most threatening argument for a gigantic salary. “My fundamental concern about the voting control I have at Tesla is: If I go ahead and build this huge army of robots, can I just be ousted at some point in the future? » he said. “If we build this robot army, do I at least have strong influence over this robot army? Not control, but strong influence… I don’t feel comfortable building this robot army unless I have strong influence.”
Generally speaking, Musk talks about Tesla’s Project Optimus as a force for peace rather than war. He said Optimus would disrupt the job market and free humanity from the drudgery of work. (“Working will be optional, like growing your own vegetables, instead of buying them at the store,” he posted this week.) Elsewhere on the investor call Wednesday, he said Tesla’s robots would “actually create a world where there is no poverty, where everyone has access to the best medical 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 infinite money problem,” Musk said, arguing that everyone will want a humanoid robot that can do their job for them.
