Tesla Launches Robotaxi Rides Without Human Safety Drivers in Austin, Stock Rises

Tesla has started offering robotaxi rides in Austin, Texas, without a human safety driver or monitor in the car. This marks a new milestone in the company's efforts to develop self-driving vehicles. Passengers can now experience rides in Tesla's robotaxis with no human present in the front seat.

CEO Elon Musk announced that these rides are now available in Austin and said Tesla plans to expand robotaxi services to more cities in the United States. He expects Tesla's robotaxis to be widespread across the country by the end of 2026.

Tesla's progress on self-driving technology and the launch of these new services led to a rise in the company's stock price, as investors reacted positively to the news.

A robotaxi is a self-driving car that can transport passengers without a human driver.

Tesla's robotaxi rides without a human safety driver are currently available in Austin, Texas.

Tesla believes its self-driving technology is ready for public use without a human monitor in the car. The rides in Austin have launched under this approach.

Tesla's stock price increased following the announcement about the launch of robotaxi rides without safety drivers.

Barrons

Tesla stock is all about AI lately, including AI-trained self-driving cabs.

CNBC

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said his robotaxis will be "widespread" in the U.S. by the end of 2026 during an appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Tesla robotaxis first launched in Austin in 2025 after years of promises from Musk that the company was on the verge of driverless cars.

Reuters

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on Thursday that the company has started Robotaxi rides in Austin without safety monitors in the car.

TechCrunch

Tesla is offering passengers robotaxi rides in Austin without a human safety driver in the front seat.

Business Insider

Tesla says some of its cars are now driving passengers without a human monitor in the front seat. CEO Elon Musk has been pushing to launch more self-driving cars in other US cities.

Market Watch

Tesla has started removing safety drivers from some robotaxi rides. CEO Elon Musk expects the company's robotaxi network to be “very, very widespread” in the U.S by the end of 2026.

Investopedia

The future of robotics, Elon Musk is here to tell you, is on its way.

Seeking Alpha

Tesla, Inc. is rated Hold, with a short-term bullish bias due to low analyst expectations and potential for a Q4 2025 earnings beat. TSLA stock's valuation is heavily reliant on future growth from Robotaxi and Optimus, which remain speculative and unproven at scale. The energy segment is now TSLA's...

PYMNTS

Tesla will be selling humanoid robots to the public by the end of 2027, CEO Elon Musk said Thursday (Jan. 22).

Yahoo Finance

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CNBC Television

Elon Musk, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, says he expects Tesla to be selling humanoid robots to the public by the end of next year.

Investors Business Daily

Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed the EV giant has removed some safety monitors in its Austin, Texas, robotaxis on Thursday.

Proactive Investors

Uber Technologies Inc (NYSE:UBER, XETRA:UT8) faces growing long-term risks from the accelerating rollout of autonomous vehicle services, according to a research note from Wedbush analysts. The analysts pointed to recent moves by Waymo and Tesla as reinforcing competitive pressures on traditional rid...

CNBC Television

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on Thursday that his company will have a “widespread” network of driverless robotaxis in the U.S. by the end of 2026. “Tesla's rolled out robotaxi service in a few cities, and will be very, very widespread by the end of this year within the U.S.,” he said during an appearanc...

Schwab Network

While Intel (INTC) earnings and other Big Tech companies took plenty of market attention, one stock that surprisingly slid under the radar was Tesla (TSLA). Marley Kayden and Sam Vadas talk about the robotaxi updates driving a rally in shares.

Yahoo Finance

Market Domination anchor Josh Lipton breaks down the latest market news for January 22, 2026. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth and Investment Management CEO Ross Gerber weighs in on Tesla CEO Elon Musk's remarks on robots at the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

MarketBeat

For years, the promise of self-driving cars has fueled Tesla's NASDAQ: TSLA massive stock valuation. That promise has transitioned from a theoretical concept to a physical reality on public roads.

Fox Business

Elon Musk said Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots could be available for public purchase by the end of 2027, saying the robots should be reliable, safe and capable of a range of functions.

Yahoo Finance

Musk: Tesla will be "selling humanoid robots to the public" by the end of 2026.

CNBC

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said his company has removed human safety monitors from some of its Robotaxi fleet vehicles in Austin. Tesla promised to scale a driverless ride-hail service in the U.S. last year, but fell far shy of that goal with limited operations starting only in Austin and San Francisco.

Yahoo Finance

Gerber Kawasaki Wealth and Investment Management CEO, Ross Gerber, joins Market Domination host Josh Lipton to discuss Tesla CEO Elon Musk's remarks on the future of robotics at the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

TechCrunch

Tesla has discontinued Autopilot, its basic driver-assistance system, as the company tries to boost adoption of a more advanced version of the technology that it calls Full Self-Driving (Supervised).

Investors Business Daily

After Tesla pulled safety monitors Thursday from a few Model Y robotaxis in Austin, Elon Musk hinted at an FSD price hike. Tesla stock is above a key level.

Zacks Investment Research

Tesla begins driverless robotaxi rides in Austin, removing in-car safety monitors as it cautiously tests FSD.

Yahoo Finance

Yahoo Finance executive editor Brian Sozzi breaks down the latest market news for January 23, 2026. Tesla CEO Elon Musk's commented on the future of robots at the World Economic Forum, saying, 'there will be more robots than people.

The Motley Fool

Tesla CEO Elon Musk says Tesla has started robotaxi drives in Austin with no safety monitor in the car. The electric-car maker's 2025 vehicle deliveries fell about 9% from 2024.

Bloomberg Technology

Tesla is removing the safety driver from its robotaxis in Austin, kicking competition in the self-driving cab market into higher gear. Regina Clewlow, managing director at mobility analytics firm Populus, discusses the news and consumer readiness for self-driving cars with Caroline Hyde and Ed Ludlo...

Business Insider

Tesla told workers it plans to collect data to train Optimus humanoid robots at its Texas facility. Tesla has been training Optimus at its Fremont, California plant for more than a year.

The Motley Fool

Autonomous driving technology will revolutionize the mobility industry in the coming years, and the multitrillion-dollar technology presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for investors. Nvidia provides a comprehensive autonomous driving platform that comprises hardware and software solutions that...

The Motley Fool

Tesla's stock outlook hinges on the rollout of its robotaxi and its regulatory approvals. Management's ambitious projections often face delays and skepticism.

Seeking Alpha

Tesla, Inc. is making promising progress on scaling robotaxis, with unsupervised rides beginning in Austin and further rollout updates likely to dominate the upcoming earnings call. Favorable revenue mix shifts toward robotaxis and FSD subscriptions could structurally expand Tesla's gross margins fr...

Seeking Alpha

Time to upgrade Uber Technologies to a buy, with risk/reward now favoring the stock ahead of Q4 earnings. UBER maintains a strong platform moat and sector-leading profitability, despite looming long-term robotaxi threats from Tesla and Waymo. Robotaxi disruption is unlikely to materially impact UBER...

The Motley Fool

A number of factors have pressured Tesla's electric vehicle sales and its margins. The company is focused on making progress with its self-driving technology.

Reuters

Tesla investors head into earnings on Wednesday looking for evidence that Elon Musk's long-promised self-driving bet is beginning to materialize even as results show growing strain on the company's electric-vehicle business.