Elon Musk Wants ‘Strong Influence’ Over the ‘Robot Army’ He’s Building Leave a comment

Tesla is perhaps an electrical auto maker, however CEO Elon Musk has made clear that he thinks of it as way more: an innovator in synthetic intelligence and software program, a builder of world-shaking robots. He’s additionally argued that Tesla must be price much more than it’s right now: as much as $20 trillion, he posted in July, greater than 5 occasions the present price of Nvidia.

Musk has additionally made it clear that he desires to receives a commission, so much. In November, Tesla shareholders will vote on the board’s proposal to pay the CEO a outstanding $1 trillion over the subsequent decade. The deal would additionally enhance Musk’s stake in Tesla from 13 p.c to 1 / 4. However Musk would solely get that huge determine—and the additional management—if he hits a sequence of formidable metrics, together with 20 million autos delivered, 1 million robotaxis in industrial operation, and an $8.5 trillion valuation. And likewise, 1 million Optimus humanoid robots delivered.

On a name with buyers on Wednesday, Musk locked on to that final level to make his most threatening argument for a big payday but. “My basic concern with regard to how a lot voting management I’ve at Tesla is, if I’m going forward and construct this huge robotic military, can I simply be ousted in some unspecified time in the future sooner or later?” he mentioned. “If we construct this robotic military, do I’ve not less than a powerful affect over this robotic military? Not management, however a powerful affect … I do not really feel snug constructing that robotic military until I’ve a powerful affect.”

Usually, Musk talks about Tesla’s Optimus challenge as extra of a drive for peace than battle. He’s mentioned that Optimus will upend the job market and free humanity from the drudgery of labor. (“Working can be non-obligatory, like rising your individual greens, as an alternative of shopping for them from the shop,” he posted this week.) Elsewhere on the investor name Wednesday, he mentioned that Tesla’s robots would “truly create a world the place there isn’t any poverty, the place everybody has entry to the best medical care.”

Optimus, he added, “can be an unimaginable surgeon, and picture if everybody had entry to an unimaginable surgeon.” For Tesla, Optimus can be “an infinite cash glitch,” Musk mentioned, arguing that everybody will desire a humanoid robotic who can do their work for them.