“Elon Musk Is ‘Losing All Credibility’ on Self-Driving—Is Tesla in Trouble?”

Is Tesla’s Self-Driving Future in Trouble Elon Musk, Politics & AI Challenges

🚗 Is Tesla’s Self-Driving Future in Trouble? Elon Musk, Politics & AI Challenges

Tesla’s self-driving technology has been one of the most ambitious—and controversial—projects in the automotive industry. However, despite bold claims dating back to 2016, Tesla is still struggling to deliver on that promise. With multiple government investigations and Elon Musk’s increasing political involvement, many are questioning whether his leadership is a benefit or a distraction for the company’s future.

📍 What’s Holding Back Tesla’s Self-Driving Technology?

Elon Musk has long promised that Tesla’s cars would achieve full self-driving (FSD)—meaning they could operate completely without human intervention. While Tesla has made significant strides, recent developments suggest that major roadblocks remain.

🚦 The Real Challenge: Regulations or Technology?

Under the Biden administration, Tesla has faced several investigations into its self-driving claims. However, these probes have resulted in only minor penalties, requiring Tesla to adjust its driver monitoring system and alerts rather than imposing major restrictions.

🔍 The bigger issue? The technology itself.

Tesla’s current self-driving system averages 500 miles before requiring human intervention.
To be considered safer than human drivers, it must reach 700,000 miles between disengagements.
Human drivers, on average, get into an accident roughly every 700,000 miles, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

At this stage, Tesla is far from achieving full autonomy that matches human safety levels.

Is Tesla’s Self-Driving Future in Trouble Elon Musk, Politics & AI Challenges

📅 The Big Austin Event in June: Will Tesla Finally Deliver?

In June, Musk is set to host a major Tesla event in Austin, Texas, where he is expected to announce an important update on self-driving technology.

However, many believe this may be another shift in Tesla’s goalpost.

Since 2016, Musk has repeatedly claimed Tesla would achieve full self-driving “by the end of the year.”
These promises have yet to materialize, and Tesla has already upgraded its self-driving hardware twice, indicating that previous claims were premature.

🔮 What’s Musk likely to announce instead?
Rather than unveiling a fully autonomous vehicle, Musk may introduce a geofenced service, similar to Waymo, which could include:
✔ Remote human supervision (teleoperation support)
✔ Limited mapping instead of full autonomy
✔ An internal Tesla fleet rather than consumer vehicles

Essentially, Tesla may claim progress while delaying the original promise of true unsupervised self-driving.

🎭 The Political Factor: Is Musk’s Ties to Trump a Risk for Tesla?

Musk’s growing political involvement—particularly his association with Donald Trump—has sparked debate.

📉 How does this impact Tesla?

Investors worry that Musk is distracted from Tesla’s core business, as he spends time on political debates, social media conflicts, and other ventures (like X and xAI).
Some speculate that his relationship with Trump could help Tesla navigate government regulations, particularly as Trump has criticized Biden’s electric vehicle policies.
Others fear that Musk’s political positioning could damage Tesla’s public perception and lead to increased regulatory scrutiny.

🗣️ Fred Lambert, Editor-in-Chief of Electrek, says: “It’s impossible to measure exactly how much Elon’s political meddling is impacting Tesla. But it’s definitely having an effect.”

🔮 The Road Ahead: Can Tesla Still Lead in Self-Driving?

Tesla’s self-driving project has been one of the most hyped developments in AI and automotive history. However, with unfulfilled promises, technological roadblocks, and political distractions, Tesla’s credibility is facing growing scrutiny.

📌 Key questions to watch:
🚗 Will Tesla ever truly achieve full self-driving, or will it keep shifting the goalposts?
📉 How will Musk’s political involvement impact Tesla’s public perception and stock?
🔍 Will Tesla’s June announcement mark a real breakthrough—or just another delay?