Elon Musk drove his Cybertruck to the Joe Rogan Experience podcast studio, not expecting that it would be tested yet again. The Tesla stainless steel beast demonstrated its "near-invulnerability" in the most unconventional ways to date.
The Cybertruck's Mighty Exoskeleton
Cybertruck has already survived a Tommy Gun test "Al Capone style," Musk proved that the futuristic pickup's exterior is arrow-proof. Musk's claims were put to the ultimate test when Rogan, known for his archery skills, unleashed an arrow from his 80lb compound bow directly at the Cybertruck's panel. The aftermath? A shattered arrow, a flattened broadhead, and Musk's smirk. In the words of a stunned Rogan, there was "barely a scratch." There actually appeared to be a small dent on the Cybertruck where the arrow struck the truck, but it didn't pierce the Cybertruck's exterior.
Unveiling the Beast: The Cybertruck's Details
While Musk was keen on keeping some details reserved for the official delivery event (scheduled for November 30), he couldn't help but give up a few details. Here are some highlights:
Weight: Depending on the configuration, meaning dual or triple motor, the Cybertruck's weight is estimated between 6,000 to 7,000 pounds, or a similar weight to a Ford F-250.
Acceleration: Tesla's ambition for the Cybertruck goes beyond just a rugged exterior. Musk revealed the existence of a 'beast mode' aiming for a 0-to-60 mph time of less than 3 seconds. If this holds, the Cybertruck might just outrun some of the industry's most coveted sports cars.
Production: Musk gave a production figure estimate of 200,000 Cybertrucks per year. While this is a slight dip from previous goals, it underscores Tesla's commitment.
However, Musk repeatedly, in his own words, “sounds like a broken record,” talking about the manufacturing process. He wants a movie to be made so people understand just how hard it is to produce vehicles. This sentiment echoes his statements during the third quarter earnings call when Musk stated, "We dug our grave for Cybertruck.”
Interestingly, other people inside Tesla knew this would happen when Musk ordered the Cybertruck to be the company’s pickup truck. That’s why a rogue group of engineers started building a second Tesla pickup. Odds are that truck would be on the road already, but it certainly wouldn’t have the fanfare and attention the Cybertruck has created.
Where Legends Meet
This wasn't Musk's first rodeo on the JRE podcast. Previous episodes have often been a blend of unexpected revelations, candid moments, and sometimes controversies. Whether it's Musk's infamous joint-smoking moment or revelations about the Cybertruck's design adjustments, the combination of Musk and Rogan never fails to capture the audience's imagination.
Musk discussed the influence of what he termed a "mind virus," which is reminiscent of the "woke" philosophy. He linked this mindset to a decline in civilization and asserted that the old management at Twitter suppressed moderate and right-leaning viewpoints, functioning like a "state publication."
Musk also called out Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The two CEOs were once slated to have an MMA match, "Zuck pulled out. He used the pull-out method. I’ll fight him any place, anywhere, under any rules,” said Musk.
Shooting for the trifecta, Musk also had much to say about billionaire philanthropist George Soros, the primary sponsor of the Democratic Party in the US. Musk went as far as to say that Soros ‘hates humanity on a fundamental level.’
Watch Musk on the Joe Rogan Experience
You can watch the first two hours of the episode below, which deep dives into various aspects of other quintessential Musk insights.
Tesla has issued a strong denial in response to a Wall Street Journal report (Paywall) which claimed that Tesla’s Board of Directors had initiated a search for a new CEO.
In a statement posted directly on Tesla’s X account, Board Chair Robyn Denholm denied the report unequivocally. As per the statement, Tesla’s board did not reach out to recruiting firms in search of a new CEO.
Earlier today, there was a media report erroneously claiming that the Tesla Board had contacted recruitment firms to initiate a CEO search at the company.
This is absolutely false (and this was communicated to the media before the report was published).
The statement reaffirmed the board’s position on Tesla’s current leadership and that the board is highly confident in Elon’s ability to continue executing Tesla’s plans and future growth.
This confidence behind Elon follows his recent statements made during the Q1 2025 Earnings Call that he would be stepping back from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the coming days and significantly reducing time spent there. Instead, he would be returning to focus on Tesla’s operations and the upcoming deployment of Robotaxi.
Shortly after the denial was posted, Elon Musk also commented on the report, specifically tagging the Wall Street Journal and criticizing their handling of the report.
It is an EXTREMELY BAD BREACH OF ETHICS that the @WSJ would publish a DELIBERATELY FALSE ARTICLE and fail to include an unequivocal denial beforehand by the Tesla board of directors! https://t.co/9xdypLGg3c
We’re glad to see Tesla and Elon set the matter straight, but there could have been a better way to spread this message and maybe even prevent the report from WSJ from going out.
We recently published an opinion piece on why Tesla needs its PR team back, and this specific incident is a good example. Relying solely on platforms like X for critical corporate communications - and in this case, late at night (1 AM EST), with limited reach outside the existing follower base seems like an ineffective way of communicating important company information.
We’d love to see Tesla really put some thought into managing its image, as it seems that several recent reports from major financial news organizations have apparently been wrong.
Either way, the board’s stance is clear - there is no active search underway, and Elon has the full backing and support of the board to lead Tesla toward the future.
Tesla’s Megapack is rapidly becoming a key component in energy storage and grid modernization efforts worldwide. Though often associated with powering AI infrastructure or industrial operations, Megapack’s true strength lies in its ability to stabilize electrical grids during blackouts and brownouts.
In a recent behind-the-scenes reveal, Tesla showcased the impressive scale of Megapack production at its Mega Lathrop facility, along with real-world examples of how these systems are already transforming energy resilience across the globe.
Mega-Scale Megapack
Tesla is operating the largest utility-scale battery manufacturing facility in North America at Mega Lathrop, which has the capacity to produce 10,000 Megapacks annually. Thanks to a highly automated assembly process that uses over 30 welding robots to assemble the core Megapack structure. This is the largest manufacturing fixture Tesla uses— likely to only be matched by future developments at Mega Shanghai.
Tesla uses a highly automated powder coating process, utilizing over 90 robotic paint atomizers to apply more than 140 pounds of powder coat to each Megapack. This process delivers Tesla’s signature white reflective finish, engineered for long-term durability and corrosion resistance that lasts up to 20 years, even in harsh coastal or high-heat environments.
All of Megapack’s power electronics are designed and built in-house. Each Megapack uses 24 battery modules, electrical busing, and thermal management systems to ensure grid reliability and help to maximize energy density. The architecture pairs each inverter with a battery module to maximize energy availability and overall uptime. Plus, before each Megapack ships its way across the world, Tesla performs rigorous on-site quality control to ensure that the installation process is as seamless as possible.
Watch Tesla’s video of the manufacturing process below:
Megapack’s Real-World Impact: Hawaii
The core purpose of Megapack is to make power grids more stable and resilient while also reducing reliance on dirty peak power plants like coal. They achieve this by balancing energy supply and demand in real-time, smoothing out fluctuations from variable renewable sources like solar and wind, which helps to prevent grid shortages.
Hawaii actually provides the most real and down-to-earth example of Megapack’s impact. In mid-2024, the Kapolei Energy Storage facility in Hawaii came online. Hawaii utilized 258 Megapacks with a combined capacity of 565 MWh, successfully replacing the state’s last coal-fired power plant. This single facility can power approximately 20% of Oahu’s peak electricity needs by itself for approximately 4 hours.
The project is more than just removing coal plants, though. It serves as an example of Megapack’s grid integration and grid forming technology. The Kapolei Energy Storage facility can manage grid fluctuations caused by weather changes impacting renewable energy, improving stability and preventing blackouts. Thanks to their rapid inverter response times of under a millisecond, Megapacks participate in complex grid balancing activities, including fast frequency and voltage support, which helps to maintain grid balance throughout the day. Beyond that, Kapolei also allows Hawaii to black-start the grid in case of a major power outage that takes out a large section of the grid.
This functionality would be especially useful in Spain, where black-starting the grid took over eight hours recently and is still disrupting the day-to-day life of people there.
You can check out Megapack’s real-world impact in this video from Tesla below:
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