Are these videos TOO good to be true? #shorts
699A dozen Tesla robotaxis have officially been plying the streets of Austin, Texas, since June 22, 2025, despite a request for a postponement from some local Democrats. Despite Tesla's desired show of force, the results are nonetheless questionable. Only a dozen vehicles are in circulation, and they are restricted to a very limited area of the city, which does not include downtown.
For Elon Musk, the first races of his autonomous vehicles mark "the culmination of a decade of hard work," as reported by Reuters. However, inviting some twenty influencers who are fans of the brand to test the service isn't exactly a dive in the deep end for the service.
Videos shared by Tesla fans on X and YouTube generally show smooth rides, free of any surprises. Interacting with the app to order the ride seems easy. The experience appears satisfactory in these social media posts, on par with what Waymo's self-driving taxi services, which have been operating for several years in San Francisco (and other cities), can offer.
However, the objectivity of the test is likely misleading, for several reasons:
These are pro-Tesla users,
briefed by the project teams before their trip,
operating in a geofenced environment (an area memorized by the Tesla system),
in mild weather (the service apparently doesn't work in bad weather),
supervised by a backup system (remote operator + safety monitor on board the vehicle).
More than a real launch, this is a disguised beta test, with carefully selected users. The brand even integrated a fake tipping option (like on other apps like Uber), which redirects to a "just kidding" page. Everything seems to have been designed to generate buzz.
Several incidents occurred during the demonstrations shared on social media, as Electrek noted. This was notably the case in the video shared by Tesla Daily, in which the vehicle initiated a turn prematurely compared to the navigation, then hesitated in the middle of the intersection, before changing course while driving for a few seconds in the opposite lane. Fortunately, no vehicle was approaching.
Another user of the service, Dirty Tesla, clicked the interrupt trip button shortly before reaching the previously set destination. A Waymo vehicle would certainly have looked for a safe place to stop in this situation. The Tesla vehicle, however, stopped in the middle of the road on a curve. It took the remote operators to take control to resolve the situation.
Another detail stands out, this time in Sawyer Merritt's videos: Tesla's robotaxis don't actually approach the user; it's the user who has to reach the vehicle, even if it means crossing the street. While robotaxis always look for a "safe" place to double-park while waiting for the customer, there are still other possibilities than what the demonstrations have shown. In any case, that's what the competition is doing.
This launch is above all a symbolic step for Tesla. It remains to be seen when the brand will truly open its service to a much less accommodating customer base before its quality can be judged. By then, Tesla will likely have corrected the errors observed during these first rides, which were widely publicized on the networks. However, Waymo and Zoox are not without their critics either: they have all experienced incidents, of varying severity for passengers.
Tesla remains in the race, but who benefits from this first round? Investors first: the stock should soar after these demonstrations, which have garnered millions of views. Tesla is still expected to make a big impact and the first major hiccups will certainly make headlines.