Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA) executives privately acknowledged to California regulators that their vehicles lack true autonomous capabilities while CEO Elon Musk simultaneously promoted revolutionary robotaxi technology to investors and the public, internal communications reveal.
Documents Politico obtained through public records requests show Tesla lawyers spent months in 2024 explaining to state officials that the company’s technology amounts to basic driver assistance — contradicting Musk’s bold promises of fully autonomous fleets.
Tesla attorney Casey Blaine admitted to regulators that the company would use supervised software “functionally the same” as standard Tesla features that require constant human oversight. Yet Musk repeatedly told investors and social media followers that autonomous robotaxis would launch within months.
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The disconnect became so apparent that Tesla had to apologize when an employee’s LinkedIn post suggested the company could operate truly driverless vehicles. Blaine scrambled to clarify that Tesla understood it needed extensive additional permits for any autonomous operations.
“We understand that drivered and driverless autonomous rideshare operations would require obtaining additional permits from both the DMV and the CPUC,” Blaine wrote to state regulators in damage control mode.
Musk, however, continued hyping imminent robotaxi launches on social media, claiming California regulators were the only obstacle. Internal records show Tesla never submitted applications for the autonomous vehicle permits Musk publicly claimed to be awaiting.
The company currently operates a limited pilot program in Austin that requires safety monitors, contradicting Musk’s promises of fully autonomous vehicles. Tesla holds only basic ride-hailing permits in California that require human drivers.
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