Tesla CEO, Elon Musk settles the lawsuit with graduate student, Hothi
TED
Tesla has called out the Los Angeles Times for publishing a biased and misleading article on the recent settlement between CEO Elon Musk and graduate student Randeep Hothi. In response to the article, Tesla tweeted that Hothi had accepted a "998" offer under California law, which is used to shift litigation costs to the losing party. The company claimed that the settlement was an admission of defeat by Hothi and his lawyers, not a victory.
Author's friendship with Hothi raises questions of impartiality
The lawsuit stemmed from an email in which Musk claimed that Hothi "almost killed" a Tesla security guard in the company's parking lot without any basis in fact. Hothi's lawyers argued that Musk's statement defamed their client. The recent settlement saw Hothi accepting $10,000 from Musk. In a tweet, Hothi stated that he felt vindicated and chose to accommodate Musk for a modest sum, highlighting Musk's alleged "public meltdown."
The LA Times article, penned by Russ Mitchell, has been criticized for its biased tone and portrayal of the settlement as a defeat for Musk. The "journalist" called Musk pugnacious and said Tesla cried, Uncle. Whole Mars Catalog claimed on Twitter that Mitchell is friends with Hothi, questioning his ability to report on the story impartially. Whole Mars Catalog tweeted: "Russ can not report on this story impartially as he is best friends with Hothi and TSLAQ!"
Randeep Hothi accepts "998" offer under California law
The article in question drew attention to a tweet from Musk last year, in which he promised not to settle an unjust case against Tesla, even if the company would probably lose. The article implied that Musk had gone back on his word, as he settled with Hothi for $10,000. However, Tesla's response highlights that the settlement was reached under California's "998" offer system, designed to shift the cost of litigation to the losing party.
Tesla's tweet emphasized that if Hothi had not accepted the offer, he could have been on the hook for significant legal costs when he eventually lost the case. The offer also expressly denied any liability by Musk. The company's response paints a different picture than the one presented in the LA Times article, suggesting that the story is biased.
This incident raises concerns about the impartiality of some journalists when reporting on high-profile cases, especially when personal connections may cloud their judgment. It serves as a reminder to readers to remain vigilant and critical when consuming news, as biases may exist even in the most reputable publications.
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Tesla has begun to reach out to customers in the United States and is offering demo drives of the Cybertruck on an invite-only basis. @brandonhd on X shared the first invite image, and it looks like it's going out quite quickly to multiple locations that have Cybertrucks on display.
Up until now, display vehicles have been for just that – looking, but no touching. Some Tesla delivery centers and showrooms have also allowed viewers to take a seat inside and open it up, but most are still locked away behind the velvet rope.
It’s exciting to see that Tesla has begun to demo them – and it can only be so long until demo drives open up to everyone.
Advisor-led Demo
This Demo Drive is led by a Tesla Advisor – while you’re driving, the advisor will be in the passenger seat, walking you through the experience. They’ll explain steer-by-wire, off-road controls, and will introduce new-to-Tesla buyers to all the features that are currently available.
The list of locations so far for demo drives appears to be fairly limited, but we will hopefully see demo drives roll out throughout the United States, and eventually Canada too. Here is the current list of city/state locations that have seen demo drive invites.
Actually Smart Summon, the successor to Tesla’s Smart Summon feature, has been confirmed to be coming as soon as next month as per Elon Musk. Colloquially known as “ASS”, Actually Smart Summon is supposed to improve on the regular Smart Summon capabilities, which have historically used ultrasonic sensors (USS) to navigate parking lots.
We’re looking forward to Actually Smart Summon, and we’re quite excited about what other features will be unlocked once it finally shows up at our doorstep.
Vision-based Improvements
ASS is supposed to bring Smart Summon to vehicles that don’t have USS – using Tesla Vision. Most recently, Tesla has brought Autopark to vehicles without USS, and Vision-based Autopark has been a huge success. It is faster, more reliable, and smoother than the older USS-based solution. It can also park and maneuver in tighter locations.
Today, Smart Summon is sometimes useful at best, usually a party trick, or downright dangerous at worst. It’s excellent and best used in straight lines, where you have a clear line of sight of the vehicle, and can stop it if doesn’t see an obstacle.
I used Smart Summon today, just before writing this article – my 2022 Model Y (with USS) – did manage to show up just fine – in a straight-line location from where I was parked, after exiting the parking spot fairly cleanly. However, I’ve previously used Smart Summon and have had the vehicle turn towards obstacles, such as cart returns or curbs. Overall, it’s a sometimes-useful feature that has a lot of drawbacks right now.
Smart Summon is also restricted to a certain distance – and it's pretty small. The max distance is shorter than most parking lots, being only about 215 ft (65m). If you’re lucky enough to park close, it's very useful to bring your car right to you.
Actually Smart Summon
ASS will bring FSD V12-like capabilities to Smart Summon – the vehicle will primarily use Vision to drive toward you (or the location you’ve indicated). ASS has been supposed to be coming since about September 2022 and has seen many delays – we’re almost at the 2-year point today.
We’re looking forward to Actually Smart Summon being able to bring the vehicle – safely – right to you. ASS is also one of the key steps towards bringing some other cool features that Elon Musk has previously mentioned – Park Seek and Banish Autopark.
We’re also hopeful that Actually Smart Summon will increase the maximum range a vehicle can be summoned, because the current range is fairly small. Alongside Park Seek and Banish Autopark, we’re closing in on a Robotaxi-based future.
Park Seek and Banish Autopark
When the FSD v12.4 showed up, Elon also mentioned that going forward, vehicles would automatically park themselves when arriving in a parking lot – Park Seek – and that if you got out of the car at the entrance to a business, you could get it to automatically park itself in the parking lot – Banish Autopark. These are two features that are needed for Robotaxi to work – which itself is delayed to October 10th of this year. We’re looking quite forward to them – as in combination with Actually Smart Summon, Tesla has reached the cusp of vehicle autonomy.
A vehicle that arrives, driverless, at the location you’re at, then drives somewhere, parks itself there, and waits for you – is the definition of a Robotaxi.
While we’re likely to have to wait for Banish Autopark and Park Seek just a bit longer, Actually Smart Summon being around the corner is exciting! Gone will be the days of having to run out to your car when you forgot your umbrella – your car will just come right to you instead.
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