Elon Musk wants “strong influence” over the “robot army” he’s building
Tesla may be It’s an electric car maker, but CEO Elon Musk has made it clear that it’s more on its mind: an innovator in artificial intelligence and software, a maker of robots that shake up the world. He has also argued that Tesla should be worth much more than it is today: He posted a valuation of up to $20 trillion in July, more than five times Nvidia’s current value.
Musk has 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 whopping $1 trillion over the next decade. The deal also increases Musk’s stake in Tesla from 13 percent to a quarter. But Musk will only get that big number and more control if he hits a set of ambitious benchmarks, including 20 million vehicles delivered, 1 million robotaxis in commercial operation and an $8.5 trillion valuation. Also, 1 million Optimus humanoid robots were delivered.
On a call with investors on Wednesday, Musk made the final point to lay out his most threatening argument yet for a giant payday. “My main concern about the amount of voting control I have at Tesla is, if I continue to build this massive robot army, can I be ousted 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 a strong influence… I don’t feel comfortable building that robot army unless I have strong influence.”
Overall, Musk talks about Tesla’s Project Optimus more as a force for peace than war. He has said that Optimus will revolutionize the labor market and free humanity from the drudgery of work. (“Work will be optional, like growing your own vegetables, instead of buying them at the store,” he posted this week.) Elsewhere on Wednesday’s investor call, he said Tesla’s robots “will actually create a world where there is no poverty, where everyone has access to the best medical care.”
He added that Optimus would be an incredible surgeon and imagine if everyone had access to an incredible surgeon. For Tesla, Optimus would be “an infinite money problem,” Musk said, arguing that everyone wants a humanoid robot that can do their work for them.
