During a notable appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk disclosed potential sales plans for the company’s humanoid robot, Optimus, projecting a commercial launch "probably sometime next year." This announcement adds a significant dimension to Tesla's evolving technology roadmap, covering both breakthroughs in autonomous robotics and automotive self-driving software.
Optimus, a product Tesla has publicly discussed since 2021, is envisioned by Musk as a transformative technology capable of impacting the global economy on a broad scale. Despite the ambitious outlook, Tesla continues to confront technical challenges in the robot’s development, particularly issues involving the dexterity and functionality of Optimus’ hands. These hurdles underscore the complex engineering required to progress from prototype to production-ready humanoid robots.
In the broader humanoid robot market, data from Counterpoint Research highlights a pronounced disparity in unit shipments by geography and manufacturer. In 2025, approximately 16,000 humanoid robots were deployed globally, with Chinese companies leading by shipping over 80% of these units. Among them, Unitree Robotics notably shipped more than 5,500 full-body humanoid robots in 2025, overshadowing U.S. competitors such as Tesla, Figure AI, and Agility Robotics, which collectively dispatched only around 150 units. This market dynamic illustrates significant competitive challenges Tesla faces in scaling humanoid robotics production and commercialization.
Alongside the Optimus update, Musk provided a timeline for Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system approvals abroad. He indicated hopes to secure regulatory approval for a supervised FSD deployment in Europe as early as the upcoming month, with China possibly following on a similar schedule. This step would expand Tesla’s autonomous driving presence and represents a critical milestone in broadening the geographic reach of its driver-assist technology.
The market responded to Musk’s multifaceted statements with a mix of enthusiasm and measured expectations. Gene Munster, managing partner at Deepwater Asset Management and a seasoned equity analyst, described the market sentiment as "slightly positive." Munster observed that even limited initial sales of the Optimus robot could constitute meaningful progress, reflecting investor recognition of the incremental advancements Tesla is making across its emerging technology portfolio.
Investor reaction was evident in Tesla’s stock price movement on the day of the announcements. The company’s shares rose by more than 4% during standard trading hours, outperforming the Nasdaq Composite Index. Post-market activity showed a more modest increase of 0.25%. This positive trajectory underscores investor interest in Tesla’s futuristic initiatives, balanced by the practical challenges highlighted.
In a lighter exchange spotlighting the speculative nature of some Tesla concepts, Reddit Inc.’s co-founder, Alexis Ohanian, responded humorously on social media to Musk’s remark suggesting the potential construction of solar-powered artificial intelligence data centers in space. Ohanian’s tweet, "Data centers in space, you say?" reflected a playful take amid the broader futuristic themes discussed.
Looking ahead, Tesla is scheduled to release its fourth-quarter financial results and conduct an earnings call on January 28 at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time. This report will detail the company’s financial performance for the quarter ending in December and could provide further insights into how these technological initiatives integrate with overall business results.
From a performance standpoint, Tesla exhibits a stronger price trend over medium to long-term horizons, while currently facing some downward pressure in the short term. Its value ranking also trails, according to Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings, indicating a nuanced investor view balancing growth prospects and valuation metrics.
In summary, Tesla’s announcement at Davos reaffirms its commitment to innovation in both robotics and autonomous driving technologies, while underscoring practical development challenges and a competitive global landscape. Investor response remains cautiously optimistic as the company advances toward commercial milestones with a keen eye on regulatory approvals and market adoption.