Elon Musk talks about his successor in a WSJ interview
WSJ
In an illuminating hour-long interview on the Wall Street Journal CEO Council, Elon Musk provided a rare window into his thoughts on the intricate issue of succession. He framed the complexity of this challenge in a historical context, highlighting that it is an age-old problem that has troubled not just corporations but also nations, kings, prime ministers, and presidents throughout the annals of history.
Identifying Potential Successors
Musk disclosed that he has identified potential successors he believes could ably lead after his tenure. He has brought these individuals to the board's attention, providing them with his personal recommendations. However, he clearly stated that the ultimate decision rests in the hands of the board. Musk noted, "They may choose to go a different direction, but they are aware of who my recommendation is."
An intriguing point of discussion during the interview revolved around the stewardship of the companies Musk has built. He expressed a deep sense of responsibility, remarking, "The companies that I have created and are creating collectively possess immense capability, and so the stewardship of them is incredibly important." These comments underscored the vast influence these companies wield over society and civilization.
The Challenge of Stewardship and Control
Interestingly, Musk confessed his openness to external suggestions about control of the companies, a rarity for the famously confident CEO. He conceded, "The control question is a much tougher question, and something that I'm wrestling with, and I'm frankly open to ideas." This statement signified an unusual invitation for fresh insights into managing the future stewardship of his groundbreaking enterprises.
Furthermore, Musk delved into his aspirations for his companies, with a special focus on Tesla, to contribute positively to humanity. One idea he shared was establishing an educational institution wielding most of his voting rights. Yet, he stressed that automatic inheritance of control by his children was not on the cards, especially if they lacked interest or the ability to handle the companies effectively.
Tesla's Contributions to Sustainable Energy
Transitioning to the accomplishments of Tesla, Musk painted a vivid picture of the company's significant role in fast-tracking the advent of sustainable energy. He asserted, "The original goal of Tesla was to accelerate the advent of sustainable energy, which actually I think we've done that to a significant degree." In addition, he shared his gratification that other industry leaders have recognized Tesla's pioneering role in this revolution.
On the topic of Tesla's pursuit of self-driving technology, Musk exhibited optimism about achieving substantial progress within the year. He also predicted this technological milestone would usher in a substantial positive cash flow for the company.
Musk's wide-ranging discussion offered insightful reflections on the critical issue of succession planning and the enduring influence of Tesla. His open invitation for external ideas on company stewardship, coupled with his firm commitment to ensuring Tesla's mission continuity, underscore his acknowledgment of the gravity of his leadership role and his earnest dedication to securing his companies' long-lasting beneficial impact on humanity. This interview promises to ignite further dialogue about the future trajectory of Tesla and the broader implications of succession planning in innovative companies.
Elon Musk Interviewed on the WSJ
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Tesla signaled its intention to launch its first Robotaxi network in Austin, Texas, with company-owned and operated vehicles, back in January. This network will be Tesla’s first foray into truly autonomous vehicles - ones that aren’t being directly supervised by a driver. Later in February, Tesla’s executive team confirmed that the plans were on track for the launch of the Austin network both on X and during several interviews that they participated in.
At the end of February, we also found out that Tesla has applied for a Supervised Robotaxi license in California, where the network will also launch, but with safety drivers in place.
This is an ambitious plan, but FSD has really come a long way in the past year. FSD V12 was a massive step forward from V11, and V13 has made the experience smoother and safer than ever before. FSD V14 is expected to be another big step up with auto-regressive transformers and audio input.
Still on Track
Now, Elon has tripled down on the fact that Tesla will be launching their first autonomous robotaxi network in Austin - just two months away at this point. It seems that Tesla is fully set to launch their first fully unsupervised self-driving vehicles that will carry paying passengers in June.
Additional Cities
The best part is that Elon also confirmed that they’re targeting robotaxi networks launching in many cities within the United States by the end of this year. However, remember that this will be a Tesla-run network at first - Tesla owners won’t be able to add their vehicles to the Robotaxi fleet right away.
Adding Customer Vehicles
It will take some time before Tesla meets their strict internal safety requirements before it lets customers add their own vehicles to the network. Tesla’s executive team mentioned that they intend to let owners add their own vehicles to the fleet sometime in 2026. This happens to be the same time frame that Tesla plans to launch the Robotaxi across the United States, Mexico, and Canada — something that could only be done with customer-owned cars.
That final step will be bold—and it may come with complications, especially given that autonomous vehicle approval spans municipal, state or provincial, and even federal levels. There are plenty of regulatory hurdles ahead, but this is undoubtedly shaping up to be one of the most exciting times for Tesla.
Launch Event
With the Robotaxi network launching and Unsupervised FSD just around the corner, there’s a lot to get excited about. Tesla is expected to host a launch event at Gigafactory Texas in Austin to mark the debut of its first Robotaxi network. The company previously hinted that referral code users could receive invites—offering a rare chance to score an early ride in a Robotaxi outside the Hollywood studio lot.
Tesla’s engineering mule vehicles—used to test autonomy for future platforms—have resurfaced after an extended absence. The last time we saw them was back in July, when Tesla was gearing up for its initial We, Robot event. Since then, sightings have been scarce.
These vehicles typically signal that Tesla is testing new camera placements or validating FSD ground-truth data. This time, however, they appear to be outfitted exclusively with the updated camera hardware seen on the Cybercab.
New Sightings
The mules have now been spotted in Boston, Massachusetts, and Concord, New Hampshire—their first known appearances this far east. This suggests Tesla is actively collecting data to evaluate and optimize FSD performance in new regions. Thanks to Reddit user Ready_Medium_6693 for catching the one in Concord.
Elon Musk recently mentioned that Tesla plans to expand Robotaxi networks beyond the initial Texas and California launches. So while these sightings aren’t entirely unexpected, the speed of their arrival is. It suggests Tesla is confident in its ability to train FSD for local traffic rules and driving behaviors to the point it no longer needs a driver.
Bumper Cameras
The vehicle that’s been spotted in Boston is the usual Tesla engineering Model 3… except with one unique twist. It includes a front bumper camera. Shout out to @Dylan02939106 for catching the bumper camera in these photos.
The Refreshed Model 3 Mule with a Bumper Camera!
@Dylan02939106 on X
We previously released an opinion piece regarding whether the front bumper camera would be required for Unsupervised FSD. In our eyes, Tesla will require a bumper camera for Unsupervised FSD - if only to improve direct visibility in the bumper area of the vehicle. This is key for low-speed maneuvering in crowded areas like parking lots and garages, as well as for key features like Actually Smart Summon.
It isn’t surprising that Tesla is continuing to evaluate vehicles with a bumper camera - the Cybertruck, Cybercab, and Refreshed Model Y all have them now - and the rest of the lineup, including the flagship Model S and X, as well as the refreshed Model 3 - were supposed to eventually receive them as well.
With the Model S and Model X set for refreshes this year—and the front bumper camera on this Model 3 looking well-integrated rather than a temporary setup—it seems likely that front bumper cameras will soon become standard across Tesla’s entire lineup.
The Robotaxi Mule in Boston
@Dylan02939106 on X
In fact, Tesla’s newest iteration of the FSD computer has a slot for the Bumper Camera on all AI4/HW4 vehicles, so a future retrofit could even be possible.
These are some pretty exciting times - we may see Robotaxi networks actually deploy in time for Tesla’s lofty goal of “sometime in 2026” for cities throughout North America. Once many American cities begin to accept their deployment, it will be easier to seek homologation in Mexico and Canada, enabling deployment throughout the continent.
