They’re here. After years of tweets, teasers, and timelines that aged like unrefrigerated dairy, Tesla 
TSLA officially launched its long-awaited robotaxi service in Austin, Texas.
The self-driving revolution, we were told, would arrive like a lightning bolt. Instead, it quietly rolled up to the curb with a safety monitor riding shotgun.
On Sunday, (as promised) a small, highly curated fleet of Teslas — fully driverless, but not entirely unsupervised — began picking up paying passengers in an isolated section of Austin. CEO Elon Musk, as usual, led the cheer squad, declaring victory on X.
“Super congratulations to the Tesla AI software and chip design teams on a successful robotaxi launch!! Both the AI chip and software teams were built from scratch within Tesla.”
Investors, naturally, perked up. Tesla shares edged higher by more than 5% Monday morning as Wall Street tried to figure out whether this was the long-awaited catalyst for another rally… or just another “sell-the-news” moment that fizzles as quickly as the hype fades.
🔔 The Soft Launch Heard Around The Internet
Let’s not get carried away. This wasn’t a citywide revolution. Tesla’s launch was extremely limited — more of a PR exercise than a true market rollout. Only a handful of Teslas were involved, operating in a tightly controlled, geofenced area.
The riders? Carefully selected influencers, many of whom were more excited to film TikToks than analyze technical driving capability. In other words, this wasn’t exactly New York City rush-hour stress testing.
The rides cost a flat fee of $4.20, because, of course they did. And while the cars drove themselves, safety monitors sat in the front passenger seats — a very human reminder that the project is still very much in beta mode.
The bigger question for investors: Does this prove Tesla’s technology is ready for prime time? Or is it simply an appetizer served years before the main course?
📈 The Market Reaction: Buy the Rumor, Sell the Launch?
Here’s where things get tricky for traders.
The stock market, as always, is forward-looking. Tesla stock didn’t just wake up bullish on Monday because of a few rides in Austin — it’s been rallying for months because of the promise of robotaxis.
Since Tesla’s big October 10 robotaxi event — where Musk laid out plans to launch a self-driving cab service in 2025 — shares have climbed roughly 35%. Much of that gain is already baked into expectations for Tesla finally delivering on what Musk has been promising since at least 2016.
Now that the product is technically “live,” even in tiny demo form, some traders are wondering: is this the start of an even bigger rally?
The answer probably depends on how fast Tesla can scale. And that’s where reality gets stickier.
🤔 The Scaling Problem: A Long Road Ahead
As exciting as Sunday’s launch may have been for influencers and Tesla superfans, it’s not exactly proof of scalability. Deploying 10 carefully monitored cars in a tiny slice of Austin is one thing; blanketing entire metro areas, or states, or countries is another beast entirely.
Tesla’s AI software may be improving, and its in-house chip design gives it some vertical integration advantages. But scaling fully autonomous fleets will require navigating a minefield of regulatory, safety, and logistical challenges — not to mention stiff competition.
Alphabet’s Waymo is already operating robotaxi services in Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, with years of public road testing under its belt. Cruise (General Motors) ran its own driverless service before recently pausing operations after high-profile safety incidents. The technology arms race is fierce — and far from settled.
Industry experts continue to caution that mass-market robotaxis may take years — if not decades — to fully materialize. And while Tesla loves to move fast and break things, cities, regulators, and insurance companies tend to prefer a bit more caution when thousands of driverless vehicles are involved.
📝 What’s Actually Priced Into Tesla Stock?
Here’s where this gets existential for Tesla bulls.
A huge chunk of Tesla’s market valuation — some would argue most of it — now rests on the idea that it isn’t just a car company. It’s an AI company. A software company. A robotics company. A future robotaxi empire. If those narratives start to weaken, so does the multiple.
Tesla remains dominant in EV production and it still benefits from profit margins (about half of the profits coming from selling regulatory credits to other carmakers). But even Musk himself has made clear that Tesla’s long-term valuation depends heavily on successfully delivering robotaxis and humanoid robots.
If Sunday’s soft launch is the start of something truly scalable, then maybe the valuation holds up. If it stalls — either due to regulatory hurdles, technological ceilings, or public skepticism — the market may need to reevaluate just how much of Tesla’s price reflects reality versus dreams.
👀 Bottom Line: Revolutionary or Just Another Test Ride?
So, should you buy or sell Tesla after its long-awaited robotaxi debut?
That depends on how you frame this moment. The bulls see a trillion-dollar industry being born, with Tesla perfectly positioned. The bears see a carefully staged PR event masking how far away true autonomy still is.
For now, Tesla gets credit for being bold — even if it’s bold enough to roll out a very small, very managed test.
But markets eventually ask: “What’s next?” And unless Tesla can quickly scale from 10 cars in Austin to fully functioning fleets in major cities, a victory lap here could feel a little premature.
As always with Tesla: the story is thrilling, the stock is volatile, and the future is still very much under construction.
And with its earnings just around the corner — you’re following the earnings calendar, right? — things might just be getting exciting.
Off to you: Which side are on? The bullish traders looking to add to their long positions or the bearish sellers who’ve been calling “overvalued” for years? Share your thoughts in the comments!
TSLA officially launched its long-awaited robotaxi service in Austin, Texas. The self-driving revolution, we were told, would arrive like a lightning bolt. Instead, it quietly rolled up to the curb with a safety monitor riding shotgun.
On Sunday, (as promised) a small, highly curated fleet of Teslas — fully driverless, but not entirely unsupervised — began picking up paying passengers in an isolated section of Austin. CEO Elon Musk, as usual, led the cheer squad, declaring victory on X.
“Super congratulations to the Tesla AI software and chip design teams on a successful robotaxi launch!! Both the AI chip and software teams were built from scratch within Tesla.”
Investors, naturally, perked up. Tesla shares edged higher by more than 5% Monday morning as Wall Street tried to figure out whether this was the long-awaited catalyst for another rally… or just another “sell-the-news” moment that fizzles as quickly as the hype fades.
🔔 The Soft Launch Heard Around The Internet
Let’s not get carried away. This wasn’t a citywide revolution. Tesla’s launch was extremely limited — more of a PR exercise than a true market rollout. Only a handful of Teslas were involved, operating in a tightly controlled, geofenced area.
The riders? Carefully selected influencers, many of whom were more excited to film TikToks than analyze technical driving capability. In other words, this wasn’t exactly New York City rush-hour stress testing.
The rides cost a flat fee of $4.20, because, of course they did. And while the cars drove themselves, safety monitors sat in the front passenger seats — a very human reminder that the project is still very much in beta mode.
The bigger question for investors: Does this prove Tesla’s technology is ready for prime time? Or is it simply an appetizer served years before the main course?
📈 The Market Reaction: Buy the Rumor, Sell the Launch?
Here’s where things get tricky for traders.
The stock market, as always, is forward-looking. Tesla stock didn’t just wake up bullish on Monday because of a few rides in Austin — it’s been rallying for months because of the promise of robotaxis.
Since Tesla’s big October 10 robotaxi event — where Musk laid out plans to launch a self-driving cab service in 2025 — shares have climbed roughly 35%. Much of that gain is already baked into expectations for Tesla finally delivering on what Musk has been promising since at least 2016.
Now that the product is technically “live,” even in tiny demo form, some traders are wondering: is this the start of an even bigger rally?
The answer probably depends on how fast Tesla can scale. And that’s where reality gets stickier.
🤔 The Scaling Problem: A Long Road Ahead
As exciting as Sunday’s launch may have been for influencers and Tesla superfans, it’s not exactly proof of scalability. Deploying 10 carefully monitored cars in a tiny slice of Austin is one thing; blanketing entire metro areas, or states, or countries is another beast entirely.
Tesla’s AI software may be improving, and its in-house chip design gives it some vertical integration advantages. But scaling fully autonomous fleets will require navigating a minefield of regulatory, safety, and logistical challenges — not to mention stiff competition.
Alphabet’s Waymo is already operating robotaxi services in Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, with years of public road testing under its belt. Cruise (General Motors) ran its own driverless service before recently pausing operations after high-profile safety incidents. The technology arms race is fierce — and far from settled.
Industry experts continue to caution that mass-market robotaxis may take years — if not decades — to fully materialize. And while Tesla loves to move fast and break things, cities, regulators, and insurance companies tend to prefer a bit more caution when thousands of driverless vehicles are involved.
📝 What’s Actually Priced Into Tesla Stock?
Here’s where this gets existential for Tesla bulls.
A huge chunk of Tesla’s market valuation — some would argue most of it — now rests on the idea that it isn’t just a car company. It’s an AI company. A software company. A robotics company. A future robotaxi empire. If those narratives start to weaken, so does the multiple.
Tesla remains dominant in EV production and it still benefits from profit margins (about half of the profits coming from selling regulatory credits to other carmakers). But even Musk himself has made clear that Tesla’s long-term valuation depends heavily on successfully delivering robotaxis and humanoid robots.
If Sunday’s soft launch is the start of something truly scalable, then maybe the valuation holds up. If it stalls — either due to regulatory hurdles, technological ceilings, or public skepticism — the market may need to reevaluate just how much of Tesla’s price reflects reality versus dreams.
👀 Bottom Line: Revolutionary or Just Another Test Ride?
So, should you buy or sell Tesla after its long-awaited robotaxi debut?
That depends on how you frame this moment. The bulls see a trillion-dollar industry being born, with Tesla perfectly positioned. The bears see a carefully staged PR event masking how far away true autonomy still is.
For now, Tesla gets credit for being bold — even if it’s bold enough to roll out a very small, very managed test.
But markets eventually ask: “What’s next?” And unless Tesla can quickly scale from 10 cars in Austin to fully functioning fleets in major cities, a victory lap here could feel a little premature.
As always with Tesla: the story is thrilling, the stock is volatile, and the future is still very much under construction.
And with its earnings just around the corner — you’re following the earnings calendar, right? — things might just be getting exciting.
Off to you: Which side are on? The bullish traders looking to add to their long positions or the bearish sellers who’ve been calling “overvalued” for years? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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Related publications
Disclaimer
The information and publications are not meant to be, and do not constitute, financial, investment, trading, or other types of advice or recommendations supplied or endorsed by TradingView. Read more in the Terms of Use.
Share TradingView with a friend:
tradingview.com/share-your-love/
Read more about the new tools and features we're building for you: tradingview.com/blog/en/
tradingview.com/share-your-love/
Read more about the new tools and features we're building for you: tradingview.com/blog/en/
Related publications
Disclaimer
The information and publications are not meant to be, and do not constitute, financial, investment, trading, or other types of advice or recommendations supplied or endorsed by TradingView. Read more in the Terms of Use.