10/10 @ Tesla 1

You probably have heard that Tesla’s “We, Robot” event is about to take place October 10th at 7 p.m. PT at a Warner Bros. Discovery movie studio in California.

Watch it live here: https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1YqJDkbjazvGV

Of course, rumor mills are running high as Elon Musk aims to recapture the hearts and minds of Wall Street.

Here is my rundown of what I think are the most interesting rumors.

The Cybercab

Yes, the obvious and non-surprising one. Given that the event is happening in a controlled environment at the WBD movie studio, I think we will see a physical car and not a retrofit or software upgrade. For it being only a software update would make less sense if you consider that Full Self Driving (FSD ) pickups have been low for Tesla due to the hefty 8K price tag and the technology not being there for a long while now. And, I don’t believe that the recent investment into a 300 million AI data center has paid off already.

Notably, Tesla is also currently running a 0% financing campaign aiming to incentivize Tesla buyers to buy the FSD add-on.

Also, renderings of the Cybercab exist on the Internet hence I believe it will be based on a Model 3 and likely called “1” or “A” which seems to be a trend lately. Given that a design without a steering wheel or pedals would be against regulations since it doesn’t align with federal motor safety standards, it might also explain Musk’s recent alignment with politicians favoring deregulation.

Of course, this would bring up the question if Trump will be there. Given that Elon Musk has been dabbling in politics lately it might not be unexpected if Trump shows up. Especially considering how BigTech is fighting for a seat on the table when it comes to setting new regulations. An understandable notion given how much the EU AI laws have impeded growth for European startups.

Partnerships

I believe this will be a major part of the 10x10 event. It makes sense to announce the commercialization plans of the platform and at the same time already show a clear go-to-market strategy. If Tesla announces how the Robotaxi platform economics would look like, it would have a major impact on existing ride-sharing services. If they democratize ride-sharing at a much lower rate, then Uber/Lyft/Grab would be in a really tough spot.

If “x” really should develop into a super app, then accepting payments and booking an autonomous-driving Tesla through X would be an important milestone on that road to full autonomous ride-sharing.

A strange coincidence is that McDonalds also announced a 10/10 event . In my mind, this could be either a McD delivery partnership or a Tesla charging partnership. I think the first one is exciting, while the second one is a bit boring. Since I believe the intention of the event is more targeted towards Wall Street, I tend towards favoring the prior. But it might also be nothing.

Optimus

It might be mind-blowing if Tesla Optimus Bots would be at the event. Of course, it’s easy to imagine the impact real-life robots working at McDonalds would have; let’s say if they would be bringing the to-go order to the CyberCab.

That said, I don’t believe the technology is there yet. And it might also start an employee revolt at McDonalds.Given that right before an election, I don’t see that happening. However, I believe we will see Optimus at the event because that is the only thing that will likely wake up Wall Street.

10/10 would read it again.